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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 · kick · pop · rest · wax · bear · band · root

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. root — of a plant
  5. rest — what's left
  6. band — a ring
  7. pop — soda
  8. rest — a break
  9. wax — to grow
  10. kick — in football
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. root — of a word
  13. pop — to visit
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. root — the cause
  16. band — a music group
  17. pop — music
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rest — what's left
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bear — the animal

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