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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. capital — a city
  3. shower — rain
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. season — in sport
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. prune — to trim
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — decided
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. shower — to wash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wax — to grow
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. prune — to trim
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. season — of the year
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. capital — money
  24. firm — a company

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