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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 120 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
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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: bowl · bound · wake · stock · hide · lash · chair · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. squash — the sport
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. stock — goods
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bound — certain
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stock — shares
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. squash — to crush
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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