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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: firm · wax · last · temple · squash · race · dip · season

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. last — final
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. season — in sport
  5. squash — the sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. last — finally
  8. firm — decided
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. race — humankind
  13. season — of the year
  14. firm — steady
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wax — to grow
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — the arms race
  20. dip — to sink
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. squash — to crush
  23. last — to go on
  24. dip — a sauce

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