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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: file · cue · toast · ground · squash · wax · season · pitcher

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cue — a signal
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. season — in sport
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. toast — bread
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. file — a document

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