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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. snap — to click
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wax — to grow
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. ball — a great time
  15. season — in sport
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ball — a dance
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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