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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mate — a partner
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. band — a ring
  11. tube — a container
  12. charge — a price
  13. mate — a friend
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. charge — electricity
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. charge — in control
  22. mate — to breed
  23. squash — to crush
  24. tube — the underground

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