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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: kick · roll · kid · bass · squash · wax · hide · foot

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. squash — to crush
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. kid — child
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bass — the fish
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. roll — a list
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. foot — a measure
  17. kick — in football
  18. squash — the sport
  19. wax — to grow
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bass — low music
  24. hide — animal skin

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