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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: straw · jam · bat · tube · kick · fan · lash · craft

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. kick — in football
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tube — a container
  18. craft — boats
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. craft — a skill

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