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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: rush · squash · rule · present · lash · tear · chip · land

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. land — to come down
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. present — a gift
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rule — a law
  14. present — the time now
  15. land — a country
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rule — government
  18. squash — to crush
  19. tear — from crying
  20. squash — the sport
  21. present — there
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chip — for betting
  24. land — ground

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