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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: game · can · bat · mark · hide · wax · date · bear

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. game — wild animals
  4. can — a tin
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. can — to be able to
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. can — a tin
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mark — a grade
  11. game — a match
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. mark — a trace
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bat — the animal
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bear — to put up with

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