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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 116 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: lie · land · straw · firm · capital · bank · hand · lash

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. land — to come down
  3. capital — a city
  4. firm — a company
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bank — for money
  7. land — a country
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. firm — steady
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bank — for money
  14. hand — help
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bank — of a river
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. capital — money
  19. firm — decided
  20. land — ground
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hand — in cards
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. hand — part of the body

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