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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 · mug · straw · coach · saw · wound · bark · current

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. current — of water
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. saw — the tool
  5. current — happening now
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mug — a face
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. current — electric
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mug — to rob

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