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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: date · wax · bat · foot · last · vault · prune · season

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. last — to go on
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. prune — to trim
  7. season — in sport
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. vault — a safe
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bat — the animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. last — final
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. last — finally
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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