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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.

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: spring · snap · squash · perch · hide · object · sharp · lash

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. squash — to crush
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. sharp — clever
  7. object — to protest
  8. spring — the season
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. object — an aim
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. object — a thing
  18. squash — the sport
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. spring — of water

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