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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: spring · board · last · lash · straw · perch · bank · wake

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bank — of a river
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. perch — the fish
  6. last — finally
  7. bank — for money
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spring — a coil
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. last — final
  12. wake — a trail
  13. board — to get on
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bank — for money
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. spring — the season
  19. last — to go on
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. spring — of water
  24. straw — a straw man

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