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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. object — to protest
  3. branch — a division
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. object — a thing
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. date — the fruit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bore — to drill
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. object — an aim
  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