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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 116 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: scale · season · band · straw · lash · squash · pit · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. squash — to crush
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. squash — the sport
  9. band — a music group
  10. scale — in music
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. scale — size or range
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. band — a ring
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. squash — the vegetable

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