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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. drill — army training
  2. object — to protest
  3. ball — a dance
  4. season — of the year
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. march — music
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wax — to grow
  10. march — the month
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. season — in sport
  13. ball — a great time
  14. row — to paddle
  15. object — an aim
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. march — the month
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. object — a thing
  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