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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. last — to go on
  8. stock — shares
  9. deal — to handle
  10. squash — the sport
  11. last — final
  12. saw — the tool
  13. last — finally
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. stock — goods
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. squash — to crush
  20. saw — the tool
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a skill

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