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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. land — a country
  3. wax — to grow
  4. club — a group
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. net — in sport
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. net — after costs
  17. stock — shares
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. net — for catching
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chip — in a computer

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