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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: lash · charge · mine · tear · craft · toast · deal · squash

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. toast — bread
  3. squash — to crush
  4. charge — a price
  5. deal — to handle
  6. squash — the sport
  7. tear — from crying
  8. charge — electricity
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. mine — for digging
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. charge — in control
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. tear — from crying
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. craft — a skill
  23. tear — to rip
  24. craft — boats

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