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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: present · plane · lash · kick · straw · bore · track · arm

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. present — a gift
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. plane — a tool
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bore — to tire
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. kick — in football
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. present — there
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bore — to drill
  23. present — the time now
  24. bore — gave birth

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