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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wax — to grow
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. mate — a friend
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. straw — dry grass

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