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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: bat · date · scale · march · dip · wax · bulb · mug

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. mug — a face
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. march — the month
  8. scale — in music
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wax — to grow
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. march — music
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. march — the month
  19. mug — a cup
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bulb — for light

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