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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. mine — for digging
  7. board — a committee
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. board — to get on
  15. plane — a tool
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. shower — to wash
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rush — hurry
  23. shower — rain
  24. mine — an explosive

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