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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 120 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 · squash · swing · march · rush · last · stick · charge

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. last — final
  4. march — the month
  5. charge — electricity
  6. swing — in golf
  7. march — the month
  8. squash — the sport
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. march — music
  11. squash — to crush
  12. last — to go on
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. charge — a price
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. swing — to play on
  18. last — finally
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. swing — music
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. charge — in control

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