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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. content — the amount
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. wax — to grow
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. prune — to trim
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. foot — a measure
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. prune — to trim

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