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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: lash · arm · saw · straw · wake · chair · key · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. key — in music
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pop — music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — for a lock
  11. pop — to visit
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wake — a trail
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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