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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mark — a grade
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. march — music
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. ball — a dance
  24. dip — to sink

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