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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. land — ground
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. bank — of a river
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wax — to grow
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. sharp — clever
  19. squash — to crush
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bank — for money
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bank — for money
  24. toast — bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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