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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: suit · squash · degree · straw · lash · trunk · saw · file

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. degree — an amount
  3. saw — the tool
  4. suit — clothes
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. suit — to fit
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. squash — the sport
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. squash — to crush
  21. file — a line of people
  22. suit — in cards
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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