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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · court · lash · bank · squash · bark · arm · bat

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. court — of a king
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. court — for sport
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. squash — the sport
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bank — of a river
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. season — in sport
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bank — for money
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. season — of the year
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. court — of law
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bank — for money
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bark — to shout

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