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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 · fine · racket · lash · tube · fall · bank · straw

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mate — to breed
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fine — all right
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. fall — to drop
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. tube — a container
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fall — the season
  16. fine — high quality
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bank — for money
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bank — of a river

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