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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. 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. march — music
  3. foot — a measure
  4. can — to be able to
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. degree — from a university
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. degree — temperature
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. wax — to grow
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. can — a tin
  18. fork — in a road
  19. can — a tin
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. march — the month
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. 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