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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: calf · fine · tube · pop · date · last · wax · temple

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. tube — a container
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. tube — the underground
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. last — final
  20. pop — soda
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. last — finally
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. last — to go on

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