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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · lash · mug · field · bank · land · can · straw

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. field — a subject
  3. can — a tin
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. mug — a face
  8. bank — for money
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. land — a country
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. can — to be able to
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. field — farmland
  18. can — a tin
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bank — for money
  23. bear — the animal
  24. field — for sport

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