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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.

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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: wax · rash · pound · squash · game · pit · rest · tear

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. rest — a break
  3. pit — in a race
  4. squash — to crush
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pit — a hole
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. tear — from crying
  10. game — a match
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wax — to grow
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rash — hasty
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. pound — to hit hard

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