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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spring — a coil
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. spring — of water
  11. charge — in control
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. branch — a division
  17. spring — the season
  18. date — on the calendar

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