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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 116 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: dip · lash · perch · pound · cold · saw · spell · squash

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. saw — the tool
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cold — an illness
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. spell — a short time
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. pound — a weight
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. spell — letters
  17. perch — the fish
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cold — not warm
  20. spell — magic
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. dip — to sink

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