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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rest — what's left
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. squash — to crush
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mate — a friend
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rest — a break
  18. mate — a partner
  19. drill — army training
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rest — what's left
  24. drill — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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