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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. present — the time now
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bank — for money
  8. march — the month
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bass — low music
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bass — the fish
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. march — the month
  15. wake — a trail
  16. present — a gift
  17. bank — for money
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. march — music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. present — there

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