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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wind — moving air
  8. plane — a tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. date — the fruit
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. band — a music group
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mate — a partner
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. band — a ring
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. fan — a supporter

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