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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. drill — a practice
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pit — in a race
  7. tube — the underground
  8. roll — a cake
  9. drill — the tool
  10. tube — a container
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. drill — army training
  21. pit — a hole
  22. toast — bread
  23. roll — a list
  24. toast — the most admired

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