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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pop — music
  8. snap — to click
  9. wax — to grow
  10. march — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. march — the month
  13. pit — in a race
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. march — the month
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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