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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cold — not warm
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bass — low music
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. squash — the sport
  19. cue — a hint
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bass — the fish

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