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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.

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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: dip · deal · rash · leaves · wake · bat · can · squash

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rash — a series
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. squash — to crush
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. can — to be able to
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. dip — to sink
  24. rash — hasty

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