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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 120 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: squash · patient · wax · perch · current · lean · capital · board

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. lean — thin
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. perch — the fish
  6. current — happening now
  7. squash — to crush
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. current — of water
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — to bend
  12. board — a committee
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. capital — money
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. board — to get on
  19. capital — a city
  20. squash — the sport
  21. current — electric
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. perch — for a bird

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