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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: craft · wake · squash · pitch · bat · tube · season · wax

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. squash — to crush
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. wax — to grow
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bat — the animal
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. season — in sport
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wake — before a funeral

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