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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rock — music
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. current — happening now
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. current — electric
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. spell — magic
  9. current — of water
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wax — to grow
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. spell — letters
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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