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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.

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: bore · leaves · racket · season · cue · wax · file · squash

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bore — to drill
  8. season — in sport
  9. wax — to grow
  10. squash — the sport
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cue — for pool
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. file — a document
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cue — a hint
  18. season — of the year
  19. cue — a signal
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bore — to tire
  23. file — a tool
  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