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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. land — ground
  3. bank — of a river
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. march — music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. face — to confront
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fork — in a road
  14. face — part of the head
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. land — a country
  18. bank — for money
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bank — for money
  21. wax — to grow
  22. land — to come down
  23. march — the month
  24. hide — animal skin

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