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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: mark · sharp · date · wax · stem · shower · stick · chair

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. shower — rain
  6. date — the fruit
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wax — to grow
  24. chair — to sit on

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