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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.

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: wound · bear · swing · rash · lash · spell · straw · plane

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. spell — magic
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rash — hasty
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. plane — a tool
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. spell — a short time
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rash — a series
  16. spell — letters
  17. swing — to play on
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. swing — music
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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