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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wax · rash · bat · bay · face · mine · dip · squash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rash — a series
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. face — to point toward
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mine — for digging
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. face — to confront
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. dip — to sink
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. squash — the vegetable

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