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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: swing · face · bark · bank · straw · drill · lash · tube

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. face — to point toward
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bank — for money
  7. drill — the tool
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. tube — the underground
  11. drill — army training
  12. face — part of the head
  13. swing — to play on
  14. tube — a container
  15. bank — for money
  16. swing — music
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. swing — in golf
  20. drill — a practice
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bank — of a river
  24. face — to confront

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