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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 120 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 · fan · patient · saw · shower · lean · straw · trunk

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. shower — rain
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. saw — the tool
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. lean — to bend
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. lash — to lash out

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