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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: lash · charge · chest · season · wax · rash · net · content

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. rash — a series
  4. season — in sport
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wax — to grow
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — in sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. season — of the year
  15. charge — in control
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. chest — a box
  19. content — the amount
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. content — happy
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. net — for catching

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