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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. march — music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pass — a permit
  5. march — the month
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pop — music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. march — the month
  13. game — a match
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pop — soda
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wax — for sculpting

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