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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: present · bass · wax · rest · date · row · chest · cell

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. rest — what's left
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. row — a line
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — there
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cell — in biology
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bass — the fish
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rest — a break
  21. bass — low music
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cell — a phone
  24. present — the time now

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