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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. wake — a trail
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. face — to point toward
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rash — a series
  9. face — part of the head
  10. scale — in music
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. face — to confront
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. prune — to trim
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wake — before a funeral

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