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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: straw · squash · roll · net · racket · wax · march · mine

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. squash — to crush
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wax — to grow
  7. march — the month
  8. roll — a cake
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. net — in sport
  13. mine — for digging
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. net — for catching
  16. squash — the sport
  17. march — music
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. net — after costs
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. march — the month
  23. roll — a list
  24. wax — in the ear

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