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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. wind — moving air
  5. roll — a list
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. stand — to bear
  17. net — after costs
  18. roll — a cake
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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