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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: chip · lash · rule · squash · wind · wax · current · cabinet

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rule — a law
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chip — for betting
  7. current — of water
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rule — government
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. current — happening now
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. squash — the sport
  21. chip — to eat
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wax — for sculpting

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