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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rock — music
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pop — soda
  5. wax — to grow
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. content — the amount
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pop — music
  23. squash — to crush
  24. content — happy

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