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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stem — to come from
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rock — music
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — decided
  18. mine — for digging
  19. fork — in a road
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. firm — steady
  23. wax — to grow
  24. fork — to eat with

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