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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. march — the month
  3. vault — a safe
  4. march — the month
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. march — music
  16. track — a song
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. track — a path
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. shower — to wash
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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