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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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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: stem · fall · sharp · tear · swing · straw · lash · wave

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. tear — from crying
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fall — the season
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fall — to drop
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. swing — music
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. tear — to rip
  24. sharp — clever

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