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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. face — to confront
  5. bear — the animal
  6. squash — the sport
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. face — to point toward
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. drill — a practice
  12. face — part of the head
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. drill — army training
  23. squash — to crush
  24. tear — to rip

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