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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. charge — in control
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wax — to grow
  14. date — the fruit
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. present — the time now
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. charge — a price
  20. fall — to drop
  21. present — there
  22. charge — electricity
  23. present — a gift
  24. fall — the season

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