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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · wax · cabinet · pop · date · fall · bark · last

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rush — hurry
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pop — music
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. last — final
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. last — to go on
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. last — finally
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. cabinet — ministers

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