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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: date · dip · wax · bank · pop · file · scale · game

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. game — wild animals
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pop — music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. game — a match
  8. dip — to sink
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bank — of a river
  11. wax — to grow
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. file — a document
  14. scale — size or range
  15. file — a tool
  16. scale — in music
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pop — soda
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bank — for money
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bank — for money
  24. pop — to visit

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