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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. march — music
  5. current — happening now
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. game — wild animals
  8. current — of water
  9. spring — of water
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. march — the month
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. current — electric
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. march — the month
  24. foot — a measure

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