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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: lie · tear · bear · lash · wave · cue · squash · foot

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cue — for pool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. tear — to rip
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bear — the animal
  17. foot — a measure
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. tear — from crying
  21. squash — to crush
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bear — the animal

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