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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: lash · court · plane · bank · bass · straw · hand · rash

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. rash — hasty
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bass — the fish
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. plane — a tool
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rash — a series
  9. court — of a king
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. court — of law
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bass — low music
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. court — for sport
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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