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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bound — certain
  4. rule — a law
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rule — government
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bound — obliged
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bound — tied together
  18. spell — letters
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cabinet — ministers

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