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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. roll — a list
  11. squash — to crush
  12. roll — a cake
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rock — a stone
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rock — music
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pound — a weight
  20. wind — moving air
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cell — a phone

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