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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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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 · lash · stick · field · roll · branch · kid · firm

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. firm — decided
  4. field — a subject
  5. firm — steady
  6. roll — a cake
  7. squash — to crush
  8. field — for sport
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. firm — a company
  19. branch — a division
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  24. field — farmland

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