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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: wake · straw · lash · game · stick · toast · scale · stand

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. game — a match
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. toast — bread
  14. stand — to bear
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. scale — in music
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. scale — size or range

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