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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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. fan — a supporter
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bat — the animal
  14. kid — child
  15. bark — to shout
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. plane — a tool
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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