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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: bass · wax · tube · bowl · squash · can · clip · snap

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. tube — the underground
  3. snap — to click
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bass — the fish
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wax — to grow
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. tube — a container
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bass — low music
  15. squash — the sport
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. can — a tin
  24. clip — a video

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