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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: rash · straw · lash · drill · wax · racket · branch · arm

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rash — a series
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. branch — a division
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. rash — hasty
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. drill — army training
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. drill — the tool

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