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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: wound · bowl · lash · straw · roll · date · mark · rest

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. rest — what's left
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rest — a break
  9. date — the fruit
  10. roll — a list
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mark — a grade
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. wound — an injury
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. roll — a cake
  23. mark — a trace
  24. lash — an eyelash

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