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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. season — of the year
  4. present — the time now
  5. can — a tin
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. drill — the tool
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. dip — to sink
  10. firm — steady
  11. drill — a practice
  12. firm — decided
  13. present — there
  14. firm — a company
  15. present — a gift
  16. season — in sport
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. can — a tin
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wax — to grow
  21. can — to be able to
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. drill — army training
  24. dip — to dunk

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