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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lash · dip · staff · squash · rash · cold · bank · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cold — an illness
  4. staff — employees
  5. dip — to sink
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rash — a series
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rash — hasty
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. squash — the sport
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mug — a cup
  21. staff — employees
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. mug — to rob

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