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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: deal · date · craft · mate · fork · shower · wax · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. shower — rain
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mate — to breed
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fork — in a road
  21. date — the fruit
  22. deal — to handle
  23. craft — boats
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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