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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: dip · squash · key · rest · date · ground · land · wax

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wax — to grow
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. ground — the earth
  10. key — for a lock
  11. rest — what's left
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. key — the most important part
  18. land — a country
  19. rest — a break
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. dip — to sink
  23. key — in music
  24. squash — the sport

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