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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. march — music
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. row — a line
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. pop — soda
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bank — for money
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bank — for money
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. plane — a tool
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. march — the month
  19. bank — of a river
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. row — to paddle
  24. march — the month

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