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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. march — the month
  7. wax — to grow
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — in music
  12. land — ground
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. land — a country
  18. march — music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. can — to be able to
  23. march — the month
  24. trunk — of a tree

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