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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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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 · lash · stem · capital · trunk · mark · pound · firm

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. firm — decided
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mark — a trace
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. capital — money
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. firm — a company
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pound — a weight
  19. firm — steady
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mark — a grade
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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