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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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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: calf · row · root · pound · file · squash · lash · band

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. squash — to crush
  7. root — of a word
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. file — a document
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pound — a weight
  13. root — the cause
  14. band — a ring
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. root — of a plant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. row — a line
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. file — a tool
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. band — a music group
  24. calf — of the leg

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