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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.

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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: stick · hide · lash · club · staff · wax · march · chip

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. club — for dancing
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. march — the month
  6. chip — to eat
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wax — to grow
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for golf
  17. chip — for betting
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. chip — in a computer

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