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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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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. squash — the sport
  6. chest — of your body
  7. face — to point toward
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. ball — a dance
  10. face — part of the head
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. squash — to crush
  13. snap — to click
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. chest — a box
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. ball — a great time
  19. branch — a division
  20. fork — in a road
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. face — to confront
  24. chest — of your body

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