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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. wound — an injury
  7. saw — the tool
  8. clip — for paper
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rock — a stone
  11. wax — to grow
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rock — music
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. shower — rain
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. wound — an injury
  20. clip — a video
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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