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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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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: squash · wax · chip · lash · pit · shower · march · plane

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. march — the month
  3. shower — rain
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. march — the month
  7. shower — to wash
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. squash — the sport
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pit — in a race
  12. plane — a tool
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. wax — to grow
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. march — music
  20. pit — a hole
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. squash — the vegetable

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