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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 116 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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. drill — army training
  9. squash — to crush
  10. drill — the tool
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. prune — to trim
  15. shower — to wash
  16. drill — a practice
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wax — to grow
  24. shower — rain

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