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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mate · wake · mug · straw · lash · saw · wound · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. saw — the tool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wound — an injury
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mate — a friend
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mug — a face
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mug — to rob
  24. hand — in cards

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