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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. march — the month
  3. mine — for digging
  4. march — music
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stand — to bear
  7. march — the month
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. rash — a series
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wax — to grow
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rule — a law
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. rule — government
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. stand — for spectators

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