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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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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pound — a weight
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. shower — rain
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. march — music
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wax — to grow
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. scale — in music
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wax — for sculpting

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