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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · ball · nail · bank · tear · straw · march · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. march — music
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bank — for money
  11. ball — a dance
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bank — of a river
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bank — for money
  16. march — the month
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. march — the month
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. game — wild animals
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. lash — an eyelash

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