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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: date · branch · wax · wake · foot · last · sharp · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. branch — a division
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wax — to grow
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. last — to go on
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. last — finally
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wake — a trail
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. sharp — clever
  19. last — final
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. branch — of a tree

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