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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pass — a permit
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pop — soda
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. squash — to crush
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. ball — a great time
  10. spring — of water
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. spring — the season
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — the sport
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pass — to spend time

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