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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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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: chair · race · fork · straw · can · firm · lash · wave

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. firm — a company
  4. chair — a leader
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. firm — decided
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. race — a contest
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. race — humankind
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. race — the arms race
  22. firm — steady
  23. can — to be able to
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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