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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · squash · race · lash · dip · pound · swing · field

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. field — a subject
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. rush — hurry
  7. swing — to play on
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. pound — a weight
  12. swing — music
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. field — farmland
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. field — for sport
  20. squash — the sport
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. squash — to crush
  23. dip — to sink
  24. race — a contest

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