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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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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 · stick · branch · straw · lash · dip · race · mouse

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. dip — to sink
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. race — a contest
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. race — the arms race
  17. branch — a division
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wake — a trail
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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