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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bore — to drill
  4. wax — to grow
  5. race — humankind
  6. bass — low music
  7. march — the month
  8. shower — rain
  9. race — a contest
  10. bore — to tire
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. shower — to wash
  14. march — the month
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. stock — shares
  24. race — the arms race

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