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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: squash · wave · lean · lie · bat · rest · land · rash

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. land — a country
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. land — to come down
  12. rest — a break
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rash — a series
  20. lean — thin
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lean — to bend
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bat — the animal

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