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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. season — in sport
  4. stock — goods
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. lean — thin
  13. stock — shares
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. season — of the year
  19. date — the fruit
  20. dip — to sink
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wax — to grow

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