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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: spring · object · straw · land · mug · saw · lash · track

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. track — to keep track
  3. spring — the season
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. track — a song
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. spring — of water
  10. object — a thing
  11. land — to come down
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. object — to protest
  14. mug — to rob
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. object — an aim
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mug — a cup
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spring — a coil
  24. track — a path

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