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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 120 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: chair · saw · lean · mug · stick · lash · fine · snap

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fine — all right
  3. mug — a face
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. snap — to click
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. fine — high quality
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mug — to rob
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. mug — a cup
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fine — a penalty

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