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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 · roll · lash · tube · wave · pit · drill · deal

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. roll — a cake
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. drill — the tool
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. drill — army training
  8. pit — a hole
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. squash — to crush
  13. roll — a list
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. tube — a container
  16. deal — to handle
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. drill — a practice
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pit — in a race
  24. squash — the vegetable

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