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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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. rock — music
  5. march — the month
  6. rock — a stone
  7. march — music
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. saw — the tool
  13. sharp — clever
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. content — the amount
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. arm — a part of something

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