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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: saw · bass · wake · lash · safe · squash · pitcher · lean

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. squash — the sport
  6. lean — thin
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. saw — the tool
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bass — the fish
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pitcher — a jug

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