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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.

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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: ruler · fork · wake · foot · lash · bass · squash · tear

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bass — low music
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bass — the fish
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wake — a trail
  23. foot — a measure
  24. tear — to rip

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