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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: spell · date · squash · stick · cap · drill · degree · wax

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. drill — a practice
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cap — of ice
  7. spell — magic
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. drill — army training
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. spell — letters
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. spell — a short time
  20. date — the fruit
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cap — a hat
  24. squash — the vegetable

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