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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bore — to tire
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bore — to drill
  6. cue — a signal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. squash — to crush
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cue — a hint
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. board — a committee
  18. squash — the sport
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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