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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.

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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: shower · mark · lash · suit · saw · dip · straw · club

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. club — a group
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. shower — to wash
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. suit — clothes
  9. saw — the tool
  10. club — for dancing
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mark — a trace
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. suit — to fit
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. saw — the tool
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. suit — in cards
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. mark — a grade
  22. dip — to sink
  23. shower — rain
  24. club — for golf

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