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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: foot · band · squash · hide · land · swing · lash · deal

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. land — ground
  5. deal — to handle
  6. band — a ring
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. band — a music group
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. squash — the sport
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. land — to come down
  15. foot — a measure
  16. swing — in golf
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. swing — to play on
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. land — a country
  24. squash — to crush

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