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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · cold · nail · current · lash · tear · straw · bound

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mark — a grade
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bound — obliged
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bound — certain
  8. tear — from crying
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mark — a trace
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cold — not warm
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. current — of water
  23. tear — from crying
  24. lash — to lash out

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