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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. date — the fruit
  3. degree — an amount
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. can — a tin
  6. present — a gift
  7. wax — to grow
  8. staff — employees
  9. can — to be able to
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wake — a trail
  12. branch — a division
  13. present — there
  14. staff — employees
  15. degree — from a university
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. present — the time now
  20. can — a tin
  21. degree — temperature
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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