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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. staff — employees
  3. season — in sport
  4. lean — thin
  5. object — a thing
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. object — an aim
  9. field — for sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. field — farmland
  13. chip — for betting
  14. staff — employees
  15. field — a subject
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. season — of the year
  18. chip — to eat
  19. staff — a stick
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wax — to grow
  23. squash — the sport
  24. lean — to bend

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