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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wax — to grow
  3. drill — army training
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. march — music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rash — a series
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. staff — employees
  13. can — a tin
  14. staff — a stick
  15. march — the month
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. staff — employees
  18. can — to be able to
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. march — the month
  21. drill — the tool
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. can — a tin
  24. drill — a practice

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