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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: lash · press · staff · bark · bound · leaves · mine · straw

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. press — to push
  9. bound — certain
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. press — a publisher
  12. staff — employees
  13. bark — to shout
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mine — for digging
  16. staff — employees
  17. bound — tied together
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bound — obliged
  24. lash — an eyelash

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