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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 · date · prune · chest · cabinet · craft · bat · wax

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. craft — a skill
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. last — finally
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. date — the fruit
  9. last — to go on
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. craft — boats
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. chest — a box
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. chest — of your body
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. prune — to trim

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