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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 · dip · squash · press · cell · stick · bay · kid

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. kid — child
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cell — a phone
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. press — to push
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. squash — to crush
  17. press — a publisher
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. cell — in biology
  23. kid — to tease
  24. squash — the sport

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