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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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Word bank
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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: foot · squash · branch · kick · wave · lie · bat · rash

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. rash — a series
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. kick — in football
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. rash — hasty
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. branch — a division
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bat — the animal
  22. foot — a measure
  23. squash — to crush
  24. lie — an untruth

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