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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wax — to grow
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. suit — in cards
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. suit — to fit
  14. game — wild animals
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. stock — shares
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. suit — clothes
  21. squash — to crush
  22. stock — goods
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wax — in the ear

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