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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.

Make a worksheet

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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. branch — a division
  7. wax — to grow
  8. season — in sport
  9. vault — a safe
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. scale — size or range
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. date — the fruit
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. scale — in music
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. scale — for weighing

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