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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: lash · race · straw · sharp · wave · branch · pitch · stand

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. sharp — clever
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. race — humankind
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. branch — a division
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. race — the arms race
  20. stand — to bear
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pitch — completely
  23. race — a contest
  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