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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: march · wax · game · track · deal · pound · squash · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. march — the month
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. march — music
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. toast — bread
  12. deal — to handle
  13. track — a song
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pound — a weight
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. track — to keep track
  19. march — the month
  20. squash — to crush
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. track — a path
  24. wax — for sculpting

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