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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: race · staff · lash · snap · trunk · coach · mouse · straw

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. staff — a stick
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. race — a contest
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. staff — employees
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. race — the arms race
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. staff — employees
  21. snap — to click
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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