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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: fork · land · squash · wax · racket · toast · cell · leaves

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. squash — to crush
  6. toast — bread
  7. wax — to grow
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. fork — in a road
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. land — a country
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. land — to come down
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. squash — the sport
  24. land — ground

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