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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. march — music
  3. club — a group
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. march — the month
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rule — a law
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rest — a break
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. rest — what's left
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. club — for golf
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wax — to grow
  16. degree — from a university
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. degree — temperature
  20. march — the month
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wax — in the ear

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