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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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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: squash · chip · tube · fork · tear · pit · lash · wax

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. chip — for betting
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. chip — to eat
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pit — in a race
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fork — in a road
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. squash — the sport
  18. tube — a container
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. tube — the underground

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