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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: band · stick · row · rock · saw · bank · lash · straw

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bank — for money
  7. saw — the tool
  8. band — a ring
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bank — of a river
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. band — a music group
  15. rock — music
  16. row — a line
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bank — for money
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. rock — a stone

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