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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 116 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: squash · tube · track · lash · mouse · game · season · mine

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. game — wild animals
  4. tube — a container
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. squash — to crush
  7. track — to keep track
  8. season — of the year
  9. squash — the sport
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. game — a match
  13. track — a song
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. season — in sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mine — for digging
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. track — a path
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. squash — the vegetable

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