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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: hand · rock · fall · chest · band · straw · can · lash

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. chest — of your body
  7. band — a ring
  8. hand — in cards
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. hand — help
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rock — music
  15. band — a music group
  16. chest — a box
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. rock — a stone
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chest — of your body

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