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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · degree · wax · cabinet · mark · date · object · branch

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. degree — temperature
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a tool
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. object — an aim
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wax — to grow
  11. branch — a division
  12. file — a document
  13. mark — a grade
  14. object — a thing
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. object — to protest
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. degree — from a university
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a trace
  24. degree — an amount

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