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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: lash · present · season · mug · tear · stick · chair · squash

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. present — a gift
  3. squash — to crush
  4. mug — to rob
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chair — a leader
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mug — a cup
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. season — in sport
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mug — a face
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. present — the time now
  22. season — of the year
  23. squash — the sport
  24. present — there

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