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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. current — electric
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. tube — a container
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. current — happening now
  9. sharp — clever
  10. capital — money
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. squash — the sport
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. squash — to crush
  21. current — of water
  22. capital — a city
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. tube — in a tire

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