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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: jam · degree · hide · face · squash · lash · stem · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. squash — the sport
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. squash — to crush
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stem — to come from
  13. degree — temperature
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. snap — to click
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. degree — an amount
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. lash — to lash out

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