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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.

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: ruler · lash · mug · foot · field · lean · pitcher · straw

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. field — farmland
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. lean — to bend
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mug — a cup
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mug — to rob
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. field — a subject
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. field — for sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mug — a face
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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