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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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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: straw · bank · tear · lash · rash · saw · mug · bay

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bank — for money
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bank — for money
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mug — a face
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. saw — the tool
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. mug — to rob
  20. tear — to rip
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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