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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: mate · row · hand · straw · lash · bore · toast · rush

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rush — hurry
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bore — to tire
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. hand — help
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. toast — bread
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. bore — to drill

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