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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: hand · fan · current · lie · squash · lash · cabinet · saw

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. squash — to crush
  9. hand — help
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. lie — to recline
  19. current — of water
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. squash — the sport
  24. lash — an eyelash

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