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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: staff · march · temple · pass · squash · kick · wax · date

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. staff — employees
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. squash — the sport
  15. march — the month
  16. kick — in football
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wax — to grow
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. march — the month
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — 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