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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
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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: court · leaves · dip · squash · wax · mine · season · snap

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. dip — to sink
  3. squash — to crush
  4. snap — to click
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. squash — the sport
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. season — in sport
  10. court — of law
  11. wax — to grow
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. court — of a king
  15. mine — for digging
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. court — for sport
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. season — of the year

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