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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
468
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: fine · cell · date · pitcher · wax · calf · squash · staff

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wax — to grow
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cell — a phone
  7. fine — all right
  8. staff — employees
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — high quality
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. staff — a stick
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. staff — employees

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