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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: plane · pop · squash · chest · march · mine · lash · race

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. race — the arms race
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. squash — the sport
  6. plane — a tool
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. mine — for digging
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. chest — a box
  12. race — humankind
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. chest — of your body
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pop — to visit
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. race — a contest
  23. squash — to crush
  24. march — the month

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