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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: hand · chair · rule · lash · wax · pass · march · squash

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. march — the month
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. rule — a law
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. hand — help
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pass — a permit
  13. squash — to crush
  14. rule — government
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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