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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. present — a gift
  4. march — the month
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. present — the time now
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. race — the arms race
  11. present — there
  12. wax — to grow
  13. race — a contest
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mine — for digging
  16. march — the month
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. drill — the tool
  19. tube — a container
  20. drill — a practice
  21. march — music
  22. lean — thin
  23. race — humankind
  24. tube — the underground

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