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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: rush · straw · rule · lash · field · dip · staff · net

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. net — for catching
  4. field — for sport
  5. dip — to sink
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. net — after costs
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. field — farmland
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — a law
  16. rush — hurry
  17. net — in sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. staff — employees
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rule — government
  23. field — a subject
  24. dip — a sauce

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