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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: tube · firm · wax · hand · mate · rash · prune · squash

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mate — a partner
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. hand — help
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. firm — decided
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. firm — a company
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. firm — steady
  19. wax — to grow
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tube — a container
  22. mate — a friend
  23. squash — the sport
  24. hand — in cards

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