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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mate — to breed
  3. last — final
  4. mate — a partner
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. last — finally
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. squash — the sport
  13. craft — a skill
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. mate — a friend
  16. deal — to handle
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. craft — boats
  19. wax — to grow
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — a list
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. last — to go on

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