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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. saw — the tool
  4. current — of water
  5. saw — the tool
  6. current — electric
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. row — a line
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. kick — in football
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wax — to grow
  15. march — music
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. current — happening now
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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