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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. track — a path
  5. wax — to grow
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bank — for money
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. track — a song
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bank — of a river
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bank — for money
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. track — to keep track
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ball — a great time

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