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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: dip · lash · field · scale · game · fan · squash · bear

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. game — wild animals
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bear — the animal
  16. game — a match
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. scale — in music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. field — a subject
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. squash — the sport

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