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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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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: field · bay · bank · kick · straw · lash · nail · trunk

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. kick — in football
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. field — for sport
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bank — of a river
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. nail — on a finger

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