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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. hand — help
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. march — the month
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. march — music
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. current — electric
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mark — a grade
  20. march — the month
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hand — part of the body

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