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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 120 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: mine · wake · straw · plane · staff · lash · mouse · bound

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bound — tied together
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. staff — employees
  24. mouse — for a computer

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