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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 120 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: lean · bay · bowl · hand · wave · current · straw · bat

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. hand — help
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. lean — thin
  8. current — happening now
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. current — electric
  12. current — of water
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bat — the animal
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. straw — dry grass

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