ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

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 · tear · field · object · bore · rock · rash · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. rash — hasty
  5. field — for sport
  6. rock — a stone
  7. squash — to crush
  8. tear — to rip
  9. field — farmland
  10. squash — the sport
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rash — a series
  13. field — a subject
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. object — an aim
  19. bore — to drill
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rock — music
  24. lash — an eyelash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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