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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: temple · wake · ball · date · wax · chest · prune · chip

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ball — a great time
  5. chip — to eat
  6. date — the fruit
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. prune — to trim
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wake — a trail
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chest — a box
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a dance

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