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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. dip — to sink
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. march — the month
  8. stock — goods
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. stock — shares
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bore — to drill
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bore — to tire
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. vault — a safe
  21. march — the month
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wax — to grow

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