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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
468
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: squash · straw · cap · wax · lash · press · last · leaves

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cap — of ice
  7. last — to go on
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — to push
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wax — to grow
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. press — a publisher
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. last — finally
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cap — a hat
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. leaves — of a tree

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