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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 120 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: squash · wake · chair · stand · straw · nail · hide · tear

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. tear — to rip
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. tear — from crying
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. tear — from crying
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wake — a trail
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — on your feet

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