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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · track · mine · lash · deal · clip · wax · squash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. deal — to handle
  3. march — the month
  4. track — to keep track
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. march — music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. clip — to cut
  12. track — a song
  13. mine — for digging
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. clip — for paper
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. track — a path
  21. wax — to grow
  22. clip — a video
  23. march — the month
  24. deal — a big deal

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