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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 · net · wave · chest · wake · fall · squash · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. fall — the season
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. chest — a box
  8. fall — to drop
  9. swing — in golf
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. swing — to play on
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. net — for catching
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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