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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · mine · wax · squash · board · spring

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. mine — for digging
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a lid
  6. squash — to crush
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. spring — the season
  10. board — a committee
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. board — to get on
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cap — a hat
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wax — to grow

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