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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. march — the month
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. march — the month
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wax — to grow
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. march — music
  23. spring — a coil
  24. nail — on a finger

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