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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: dip · lash · press · degree · squash · hide · lean · club

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. club — a group
  4. degree — temperature
  5. club — for golf
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. press — a publisher
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. degree — from a university
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. dip — to sink
  17. press — to push
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. press — newspapers
  21. lean — thin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. degree — an amount
  24. club — for dancing

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