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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: mate · deal · squash · club · toast · fall · kid · wax

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mate — to breed
  4. kid — to tease
  5. squash — the sport
  6. toast — bread
  7. kid — child
  8. club — for golf
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. fall — the season
  11. club — for dancing
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wax — to grow
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mate — a friend
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. squash — to crush
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mate — a partner
  24. squash — the vegetable

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