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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: mark · bank · wake · straw · cue · lash · march · net

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cue — a hint
  5. mark — a grade
  6. net — in sport
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. march — the month
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. net — after costs
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. net — for catching
  18. mark — a trace
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. march — the month
  21. bank — for money
  22. march — music
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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