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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: rest · bat · wax · prune · leaves · dip · date · face

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. date — the fruit
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rest — a break
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. face — to point toward
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. face — to confront
  20. rest — what's left
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rest — what's left
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bat — in an idiom

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