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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
468
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: perch · deal · sharp · staff · date · wax · mouse · content

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. date — the fruit
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. content — happy
  10. perch — the fish
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. staff — a stick
  13. sharp — clever
  14. staff — employees
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. content — the amount
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wax — to grow

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