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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: foot · clip · club · date · wax · staff · pop · calf

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pop — music
  5. date — the fruit
  6. pop — soda
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pop — to visit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. clip — a video
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wax — to grow
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. club — for golf
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. club — a group
  20. clip — to cut
  21. staff — a stick
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. clip — for paper

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