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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. march — music
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stock — shares
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stock — goods
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. march — the month
  15. board — to get on
  16. march — the month
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bound — obliged
  23. squash — the sport
  24. board — a committee

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