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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
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: wound · wax · straw · rock · court · squash · mine · pass

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wound — an injury
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rock — music
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — a permit
  17. rock — a stone
  18. court — of law
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. court — of a king
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. court — for 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