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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fall — to drop
  3. march — the month
  4. drill — army training
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. march — the month
  7. tube — the underground
  8. drill — the tool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mark — a grade
  13. march — music
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. drill — a practice
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. tube — a container
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fall — the season

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