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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: squash · can · swing · wake · mate · stick · lie · cap

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mate — a partner
  11. can — a tin
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cap — a hat
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cap — a lid
  16. lie — to recline
  17. cap — of ice
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. lie — an untruth

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