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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: squash · racket · lash · straw · fan · season · cold · perch

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. lash — a whip stroke
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cold — an illness
  6. season — of the year
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. squash — to crush
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. squash — the sport
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cold — not warm
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. perch — the fish
  23. fan — a supporter
  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