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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · rash · squash · hand · chest · wake · pound · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. squash — to crush
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pound — a weight
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. squash — the sport
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lie — to recline
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. chest — a box
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. plane — a tool
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wake — a trail
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. chest — of your 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