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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: last · firm · squash · scale · tube · lash · hand · stand

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. stand — to bear
  3. hand — help
  4. tube — the underground
  5. last — final
  6. firm — a company
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. firm — steady
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. squash — the sport
  17. tube — a container
  18. squash — to crush
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. scale — for weighing

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