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

Word bank: march · squash · lash · wind · stick · fine · perch · mine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fine — all right
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. march — music
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wind — moving air
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. march — the month
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. march — the month
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fine — high quality
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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