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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. kid — child
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — to eat
  13. plane — a tool
  14. march — music
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. wind — moving air
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wax — to grow
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. wind — moving air
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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