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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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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: wound · squash · last · bowl · wax · can · face · club

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. can — a tin
  3. club — for golf
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. club — for dancing
  7. last — final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. last — to go on
  10. club — a group
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. can — a tin
  14. wax — to grow
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. face — to point toward
  22. squash — to crush
  23. can — to be able to
  24. face — to confront

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