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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 116 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 · calf · wave · straw · dip · scale · wind · saw

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. saw — the tool
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. dip — to sink
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. scale — in music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. saw — the tool
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. scale — size or range

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