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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: lash · net · pop · lean · mug · charge · file · straw

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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. mug — a face
  2. net — for catching
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mug — to rob
  5. net — in sport
  6. mug — a cup
  7. charge — electricity
  8. net — after costs
  9. file — a tool
  10. charge — a price
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pop — music
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. charge — in control
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. file — a document
  18. pop — soda
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pop — to visit
  23. lean — thin
  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