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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: suit · bat · bank · lean · chest · pit · wake · squash

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. lean — to bend
  3. suit — to fit
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. squash — to crush
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — thin
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. suit — in cards
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. suit — clothes
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bat — the animal
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bank — for money

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