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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: season · straw · lash · plane · dip · saw · tear · rush

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. dip — a sauce
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. dip — to sink
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. rush — hurry
  13. saw — the tool
  14. tear — from crying
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. tear — to rip
  17. season — of the year
  18. saw — the tool
  19. season — in sport
  20. plane — a tool
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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