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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. lean — thin
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wax — to grow
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. cell — in biology
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tube — a container
  13. lean — to bend
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. tube — the underground
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mug — a face
  20. prune — to trim
  21. date — the fruit
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mug — to rob

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