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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 120 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: straw · hide · squash · lash · spring · pass · snap · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spell — a short time
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. spring — of water
  7. squash — to crush
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. snap — to click
  12. spell — magic
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pass — a permit
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. squash — the sport
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pass — to spend time

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