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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: stick · wound · dip · roll · staff · bank · bear · lash

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bank — of a river
  4. dip — to sink
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. roll — a cake
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bank — for money
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. staff — employees
  11. bank — for money
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. roll — a list
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wound — an injury
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. dip — a sauce

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