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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. march — the month
  3. wax — to grow
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. current — electric
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. can — a tin
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. current — happening now
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. current — of water
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. march — the month
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. march — music
  24. leaves — to go away

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