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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: lie · arm · hide · squash · tube · branch · lash · cold

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. tube — the underground
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cold — an illness
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. lie — to recline
  19. tube — a container
  20. branch — a division
  21. squash — the sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cold — not warm
  24. lash — an eyelash

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