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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pound — a weight
  4. march — music
  5. ball — a dance
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. ball — a great time
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bark — to shout
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. spell — magic
  20. can — a tin
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bark — of a tree

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