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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: kick · date · mate · bear · last · stem · wax · roll

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stem — to come from
  7. kick — in football
  8. mate — to breed
  9. last — finally
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. roll — a list
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bear — the animal
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mate — a partner
  17. roll — a cake
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. date — the fruit
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wax — in the ear
  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