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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. chair — a leader
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fine — high quality
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mug — a face
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. fine — all right
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. content — the amount
  15. mug — to rob
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. squash — to crush
  21. content — happy
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. band — a ring

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