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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: lean · last · swing · firm · spring · lash · straw · bear

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. last — finally
  4. firm — decided
  5. spring — of water
  6. swing — to play on
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. swing — music
  10. spring — a coil
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. swing — in golf
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. spring — the season
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. firm — steady
  18. lean — thin
  19. firm — a company
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. last — to go on
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  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