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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. prune — to trim
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. object — to protest
  11. wax — to grow
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. object — a thing
  15. net — for catching
  16. chest — of your body
  17. prune — to trim
  18. squash — the sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. dip — to sink
  21. net — in sport
  22. object — an aim
  23. chest — a box
  24. wave — of the sea

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