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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 116 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 · shower · mark · object · stick · spring · straw · cabinet

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. object — a thing
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. object — an aim
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mark — a grade
  7. spring — a coil
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. spring — the season
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. shower — rain
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. spring — of water
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. object — to protest
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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