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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. last — finally
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bass — low music
  7. march — the month
  8. bore — to tire
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wake — a trail
  11. prune — to trim
  12. last — final
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. last — to go on
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. prune — to trim
  20. march — the month
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bass — the instrument

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