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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. date — the fruit
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. wax — to grow
  6. roll — a cake
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. roll — a list
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. staff — a stick
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. ball — a dance
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wax — for sculpting

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