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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: track · craft · wax · season · squash · spell · wind · cue

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. wax — to grow
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. craft — boats
  6. spell — a short time
  7. track — a song
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. track — a path
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. season — of the year
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cue — a signal
  18. craft — a skill
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. track — to keep track
  24. squash — to crush

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