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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. drill — the tool
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. drill — army training
  7. current — of water
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. current — electric
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rash — hasty
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rush — hurry
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. squash — the sport
  20. current — happening now
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. drill — a practice

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