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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wax — to grow
  7. lean — thin
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. branch — a division
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. race — a contest
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. race — humankind
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. race — the arms race
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. chair — to sit on

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