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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. squash — the vegetable
  2. wound — an injury
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. current — happening now
  13. wound — an injury
  14. kid — child
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kid — to tease
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bulb — for light
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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