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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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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: wave · season · temple · squash · row · stick · lash · fall

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. squash — the sport
  9. season — in sport
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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