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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 116 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. march — the month
  4. wax — to grow
  5. land — ground
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. squash — the sport
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. band — a music group
  11. charge — a price
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. march — music
  15. land — to come down
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. band — a ring
  18. land — a country
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. charge — electricity
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. march — the month

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