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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bound — tied together
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wax — to grow
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bound — obliged
  9. tear — from crying
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. bound — certain
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. ball — a great time
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — an aim
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. object — to protest
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. tear — to rip
  22. march — the month
  23. ball — a dance
  24. leaves — of a tree

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