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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: last · racket · straw · race · fan · bark · cabinet · lash

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. last — to go on
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bark — to shout
  7. race — a contest
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — humankind
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cabinet — ministers

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