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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. toast — bread
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pound — a weight
  5. row — a line
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. row — to paddle
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. lie — an untruth

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