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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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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: wax · squash · face · jam · firm · cell · file · game

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. squash — to crush
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. squash — the sport
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cell — a phone
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cell — in biology
  12. game — a match
  13. firm — steady
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. firm — decided
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. file — a line of people
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. file — a document
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. file — a tool

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