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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: wax · lash · dip · clip · pitch · ball · squash · season

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. clip — a video
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. season — in sport
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. season — of the year
  11. ball — a dance
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. pitch — completely
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. ball — a great time

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