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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: mine · wax · drill · squash · sharp · root · kid · leaves

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. kid — to tease
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mine — for digging
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. root — of a word
  19. kid — child
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. drill — army training
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. squash — the sport

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