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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: squash · wax · season · stock · nail · fork · bore · band

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. band — a music group
  6. season — in sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stock — goods
  10. bore — to drill
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. squash — the sport
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bore — to tire
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stock — shares
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bore — gave birth

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