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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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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: date · kid · kick · chip · present · wax · scale · bulb

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wax — to grow
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. present — a gift
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. scale — size or range
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. present — the time now
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. scale — in music
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kid — child
  19. chip — to eat
  20. present — there
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. date — the fruit

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