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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 120 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: bear · squash · drill · fall · rock · wax · cabinet · bound

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. drill — army training
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fall — the season
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bound — certain
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rock — music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. squash — the sport
  24. fall — to drop

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