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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. roll — a cake
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pop — music
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. roll — a list
  10. charge — electricity
  11. foot — a measure
  12. charge — in control
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pop — soda
  18. wake — a trail
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. chair — a leader
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. charge — a price
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pop — to visit

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