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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: cabinet · rush · fork · wax · date · spell · prune · squash

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. fork — in a road
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. prune — to trim
  8. spell — letters
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. spell — a short time
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. spell — magic
  24. date — the fruit

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