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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · field · object · wax · hand · squash · can · game

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. can — a tin
  3. spring — the season
  4. wax — to grow
  5. game — a match
  6. object — to protest
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. game — wild animals
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. squash — to crush
  14. hand — help
  15. can — a tin
  16. field — for sport
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. squash — the sport
  19. spring — a coil
  20. object — an aim
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. hand — in cards
  23. spring — of water
  24. can — to be able to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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