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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 116 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bound — certain
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. swing — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. staff — employees
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bound — tied together
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. swing — in golf
  14. saw — the tool
  15. swing — to play on
  16. march — the month
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wax — to grow
  19. march — music
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bound — obliged
  24. march — the month

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