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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: kick · wax · land · prune · stick · squash · lash · chip

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. land — a country
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wax — to grow
  12. land — ground
  13. squash — to crush
  14. kick — in football
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. chip — for betting
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. land — to come down
  24. prune — to trim

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