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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: ball · game · rush · squash · deal · wound · row · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. game — a match
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. row — to paddle
  5. ball — a dance
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wound — an injury
  11. deal — to handle
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. row — a line
  16. squash — to crush
  17. ball — a great time
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. squash — the sport
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. wax — to grow
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. game — wild animals

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