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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bound — tied together
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. march — music
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bound — certain
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. mark — a trace
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. march — the month
  22. bound — obliged
  23. march — the month
  24. wax — to grow

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