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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 · straw · pitcher · perch · wave · kick · squash · mouse

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. kick — in football
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. hide — to keep secret

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