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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: kick · perch · wound · lash · bay · file · straw · plane

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kick — in football
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. file — a document
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wound — an injury
  10. perch — the fish
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. plane — a tool
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. file — a line of people
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. file — a tool

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