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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. cold — the Cold War
  2. wax — to grow
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. date — the fruit
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. suit — in cards
  14. cue — a signal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cold — an illness
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — to fit
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cue — for pool
  23. rush — hurry
  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