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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. date — the fruit
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. court — of a king
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ground — the earth
  9. staff — a stick
  10. current — electric
  11. wax — to grow
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. staff — employees
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. staff — employees
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. nail — on a finger

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