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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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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: bore · ground · squash · land · lash · can · chair · scale

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. can — to be able to
  3. squash — to crush
  4. scale — size or range
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. land — a country
  7. can — a tin
  8. ground — crushed
  9. land — to come down
  10. ground — the earth
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. scale — in music
  13. bore — to tire
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. chair — a leader
  16. squash — the sport
  17. land — ground
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. can — a tin
  20. bore — to drill
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. ground — a position
  24. bore — gave birth

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