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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bank — for money
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rash — a series
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wax — to grow
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bank — of a river
  16. plane — a tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bank — for money
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. date — the fruit

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