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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wax — to grow
  4. track — a song
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. drill — army training
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. track — a path
  11. field — farmland
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. squash — the sport
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. field — for sport
  16. track — to keep track
  17. drill — a practice
  18. field — a subject
  19. squash — to crush
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lash — an eyelash

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