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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: squash · toast · can · stick · fork · wound · drill · lash

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. can — a tin
  4. squash — to crush
  5. drill — the tool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. can — to be able to
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. can — a tin
  17. toast — bread
  18. squash — the sport
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. toast — the most admired

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