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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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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: land · lash · kick · ground · saw · season · straw · can

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. can — to be able to
  3. ground — the earth
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. season — of the year
  7. can — a tin
  8. land — ground
  9. ground — crushed
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. can — a tin
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. ground — a position
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. saw — the tool
  23. season — in sport
  24. saw — the tool

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