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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · season · kick · mug · cold · wave · lash · straw

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cold — an illness
  8. kick — in football
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. season — of the year
  11. mug — a cup
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. season — in sport
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. mug — a face
  23. cold — not warm
  24. lash — an eyelash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com