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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: lean · row · spell · squash · date · bass · stick · wax

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. row — a line
  3. wax — to grow
  4. lean — to bend
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. date — the fruit
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. spell — letters
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. spell — magic
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. lean — thin
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bass — low music
  24. spell — a short time

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