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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. root — of a word
  3. wax — to grow
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bass — low music
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. root — of a plant
  9. spring — the season
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fine — all right
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bass — the fish
  14. root — the cause
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. spring — of water
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fine — high quality
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. spring — a coil
  24. ball — a round shape

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