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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 120 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. march — music
  3. cold — not warm
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pound — a weight
  6. wax — to grow
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. rest — a break
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cold — an illness
  12. can — to be able to
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. march — the month
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. rest — what's left
  23. march — the month
  24. pound — for dogs

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