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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. staff — employees
  3. wax — to grow
  4. season — in sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. season — of the year
  16. wake — a trail
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. kid — child

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