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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. march — the month
  3. wound — an injury
  4. roll — a list
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. march — music
  9. mark — a trace
  10. squash — the sport
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. march — the month
  13. mark — a grade
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. roll — a cake
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. mark — to pay attention

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