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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: squash · wax · season · lash · jam · net · shower · ruler

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. squash — to crush
  8. net — for catching
  9. season — of the year
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. season — in sport
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. net — after costs
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wax — to grow
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. shower — rain
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. net — in sport
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. ruler — a monarch

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