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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 120 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
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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: bark · fine · mug · degree · straw · lash · staff · fan

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. degree — an amount
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. degree — from a university
  6. fine — high quality
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mug — a face
  13. staff — employees
  14. degree — temperature
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mug — a cup
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — of a tree

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