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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: craft · squash · cabinet · race · field · straw · lash · hide

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. field — a subject
  8. craft — boats
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. squash — the sport
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. field — farmland
  14. craft — a skill
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. squash — to crush
  17. race — a contest
  18. field — for sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. race — the arms race

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