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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. cue — a hint
  3. spring — of water
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. spring — the season
  7. wax — to grow
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cue — a signal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cue — for pool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. spring — a coil
  17. foot — a measure
  18. nail — on a finger

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