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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 120 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. scale — in music
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bat — the animal
  8. tube — a container
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. dip — to sink
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. squash — to crush
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. squash — the sport
  24. scale — size or range

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