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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. rash — a series
  3. land — a country
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rash — hasty
  7. land — ground
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. march — music
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. file — a line of people
  14. march — the month
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. land — to come down
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. march — the month
  21. chip — for betting
  22. file — a tool
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. file — a document

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