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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 120 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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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: land · wax · swing · firm · object · last · bowl · squash

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. firm — steady
  4. object — a thing
  5. last — final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. last — finally
  10. squash — to crush
  11. land — to come down
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. last — to go on
  16. squash — the sport
  17. object — an aim
  18. wax — to grow
  19. firm — a company
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. swing — music
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. firm — decided
  24. object — to protest

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