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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: hide · vault · board · snap · squash · lash · hand · field

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. field — a subject
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. squash — to crush
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. field — farmland
  10. board — to get on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. board — a committee
  19. field — for sport
  20. squash — the sport
  21. snap — to click
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. hand — part of the body

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