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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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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: lash · squash · mine · coach · cabinet · wave · chest · snap

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chest — a box
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. snap — to click
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mine — for digging
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. squash — the sport
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. squash — to crush
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. chest — of your body

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