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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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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: lie · straw · club · dip · leaves · lash · craft · kick

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. club — for dancing
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. dip — to sink
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. lie — to recline
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. club — for golf
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. craft — boats
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. kick — in football
  22. craft — a skill
  23. club — a group
  24. straw — dry grass

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