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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. roll — a cake
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. last — final
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. present — a gift
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. last — to go on
  12. present — there
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. staff — employees
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. staff — employees
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. roll — a list
  19. branch — a division
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. staff — a stick
  24. present — the time now

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