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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: wax · date · safe · ground · swing · bat · face · march

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. ground — a position
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. march — music
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. march — the month
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. swing — to play on
  14. date — the fruit
  15. march — the month
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ground — crushed
  18. swing — music
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bat — the animal
  22. swing — in golf
  23. face — to confront
  24. ground — the earth

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