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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. squash — the vegetable
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. key — in music
  6. band — a music group
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. key — the most important part
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. net — in sport
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. net — for catching
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wax — to grow
  17. key — for a lock
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. net — after costs
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. band — a ring
  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