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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. present — there
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wax — to grow
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — the time now
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. march — music
  13. cap — a lid
  14. squash — the sport
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. march — the month
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. march — the month

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