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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. march — music
  3. present — the time now
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. march — the month
  7. present — a gift
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. row — a line
  18. march — the month
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. present — there
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. row — to paddle

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