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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bear — the animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. bear — the animal
  12. press — a publisher
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. press — newspapers
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pound — a weight
  19. wax — to grow
  20. press — to push
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wax — for sculpting

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