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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rash — hasty
  3. squash — the sport
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rock — music
  9. rash — a series
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wax — to grow
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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