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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. squash — to crush
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. field — for sport
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. game — a match
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bulb — for light
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rash — a series
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. field — a subject
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wax — to grow
  24. field — farmland

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