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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: deal · cell · fine · last · squash · wax · mate · arm

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. deal — to handle
  3. wax — to grow
  4. last — finally
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. last — final
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. fine — high quality
  13. last — to go on
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. squash — the sport
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fine — all right
  19. mate — to breed
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. cell — a phone

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