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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 · roll · toast · straw · plane · tube · pound · bank

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bank — of a river
  6. plane — a tool
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. roll — a list
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bank — for money
  15. tube — a container
  16. toast — bread
  17. roll — a cake
  18. bank — for money
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. tube — the underground

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