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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: wax · ground · dip · date · bulb · key · drill · wake

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bulb — for light
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bulb — for light
  7. drill — the tool
  8. wake — a trail
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. dip — to sink
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. ground — crushed
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. ground — the earth
  18. drill — a practice
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. key — the most important part
  21. ground — a position
  22. drill — army training
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. key — in music

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