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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · ground · ball · stem · rule · saw · lash · capital

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stem — to come from
  4. squash — to crush
  5. ground — the earth
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. ball — a great time
  8. capital — money
  9. squash — the sport
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rule — government
  14. saw — the tool
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — a city
  17. ground — a position
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rule — a law
  22. ball — a dance
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rule — to rule out

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