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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
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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: last · bear · date · key · field · kid · squash · wax

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. last — to go on
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. kid — to tease
  11. field — a subject
  12. last — finally
  13. kid — child
  14. key — in music
  15. date — the fruit
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bear — the animal
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. squash — the sport

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