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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: swing · squash · chair · bank · rock · lash · hand · pound

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rock — a stone
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bank — for money
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bank — for money
  13. chair — a leader
  14. squash — the sport
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bank — of a river
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. hand — help

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