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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. last — finally
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. club — a group
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. last — final
  8. wax — to grow
  9. last — to go on
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. club — for golf
  12. stem — to come from
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. club — for dancing
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. vault — a safe
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. foot — a measure

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