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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. date — the fruit
  3. season — of the year
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bat — the animal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. pop — to visit
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pop — soda
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. season — in sport
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pop — music

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