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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: lash · mug · tear · content · cue · straw · land · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mug — a face
  4. cue — for pool
  5. mug — to rob
  6. content — the amount
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. season — in sport
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. season — of the year
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mug — a cup
  19. content — happy
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  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