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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: mark · fan · jam · last · mouse · bark · wax · date

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. last — to go on
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. date — the fruit
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mark — a grade
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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