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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. suit — clothes
  5. march — the month
  6. mine — for digging
  7. suit — to fit
  8. kid — child
  9. bass — the fish
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. root — of a word
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. kid — to tease
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. march — music
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bass — low music
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. root — the cause
  24. nail — for a hammer

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