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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: pop · perch · ground · firm · wax · date · lie · bat

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. firm — a company
  3. perch — the fish
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ground — the earth
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — decided
  8. wax — to grow
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. date — the fruit
  13. pop — soda
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pop — music
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bat — the animal
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ground — crushed
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wax — for sculpting

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