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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: band · straw · wind · stock · season · mine · lash · ruler

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wind — moving air
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mine — for digging
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wind — moving air
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. season — of the year
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. band — a ring
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. band — a music group
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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