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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: tube · squash · lash · kick · stock · fork · suit · chair

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. tube — the underground
  3. stock — goods
  4. suit — to fit
  5. tube — a container
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. stock — shares
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. suit — in cards
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. chair — a leader
  19. suit — clothes
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. squash — the sport
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. stock — a soup base

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