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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. tear — to rip
  3. march — the month
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. degree — an amount
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. march — music
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. march — the month
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. branch — a division
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. branch — 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