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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.

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: firm · squash · face · racket · spell · wax · clip · mouse

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. face — to point toward
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. face — to confront
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. firm — steady
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. firm — decided
  12. squash — to crush
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. squash — the sport
  16. clip — a video
  17. spell — magic
  18. wax — to grow
  19. firm — a company
  20. spell — a short time
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. spell — letters

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