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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 120 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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. current — electric
  4. march — music
  5. current — of water
  6. pass — a permit
  7. club — for golf
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. club — a group
  15. current — happening now
  16. club — for dancing
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month

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