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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bound — obliged
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bound — certain
  8. squash — the sport
  9. land — a country
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. date — the fruit
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. land — to come down
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bass — low music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bass — the fish
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wax — for sculpting

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