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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rock — music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. plane — a tool
  9. clip — for paper
  10. date — the fruit
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. lean — thin
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. lean — to bend
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wax — to grow
  24. lean — to rest against

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