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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. kick — in football
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. snap — to click
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wax — to grow
  9. last — final
  10. pound — a weight
  11. last — to go on
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. march — the month
  16. bulb — for light
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. march — the month
  24. last — finally

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