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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 · mate · spring · swing · nail · chip · lash · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. swing — to play on
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wax — to grow
  17. spring — of water
  18. swing — in golf
  19. kick — in football
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. swing — music
  24. chip — for betting

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