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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wax — to grow
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mug — a cup
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mug — a face
  12. rock — music
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. drill — army training
  17. march — the month
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mug — to rob
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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