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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pound — a weight
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. hand — in cards
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. hand — help
  22. stem — to come from
  23. game — a match
  24. squash — to crush

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