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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 · last · wax · can · hand · straw · jam · kick

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wax — to grow
  6. can — a tin
  7. last — to go on
  8. hand — help
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. can — to be able to
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. can — a tin
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. last — finally
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. last — final
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. hand — in cards
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. kick — in football
  23. jam — in traffic
  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