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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wax — to grow
  4. board — a committee
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. drill — a practice
  10. march — music
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. drill — army training
  13. march — the month
  14. ground — a position
  15. mug — a face
  16. ground — crushed
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mug — to rob
  23. march — the month
  24. mug — a cup

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