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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: bound · roll · hide · straw · lash · pop · wake · can

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. roll — a list
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. can — a tin
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pop — to visit
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. pop — music
  20. can — a tin
  21. roll — a cake
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pop — soda
  24. straw — a straw man

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