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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wax — to grow
  4. march — music
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. march — the month
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. drill — army training
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. hand — help
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. kick — in football
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. kick — with a leg

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