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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: hand · bulb · straw · lash · club · deal · row · mark

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for golf
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mark — a grade
  5. hand — help
  6. club — for dancing
  7. row — a line
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bulb — for light
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. row — to paddle

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