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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. face — part of the head
  3. squash — to crush
  4. club — for dancing
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. face — to confront
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. spell — letters
  9. face — to point toward
  10. club — for golf
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. spell — a short time
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spell — magic
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. club — a group
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. scale — size or range
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. squash — the sport

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