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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 116 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: squash · wind · fine · net · spring · bear · wax · race

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. squash — the vegetable
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spring — of water
  12. fine — all right
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. net — in sport
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. squash — to crush
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — humankind
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. race — the arms race
  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