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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. march — the month
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. scale — in music
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. march — the month
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wind — moving air
  18. march — music
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bowl — a dish

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