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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pop — soda
  4. tear — to rip
  5. stand — to bear
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pop — to visit
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pop — music
  12. wax — to grow
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. snap — to click
  24. squash — the sport

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