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

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. band — a music group
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rule — government
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. charge — a price
  13. wax — to grow
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rule — a law
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rash — hasty
  21. band — a ring
  22. rash — a series
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. squash — to crush

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