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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: fork · charge · stand · pitcher · lash · net · wind · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wind — moving air
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. fork — in a road
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. net — in sport
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. net — for catching
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. charge — in control
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. net — after costs
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — to bear

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