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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wax — to grow
  5. club — for golf
  6. ground — crushed
  7. club — a group
  8. ground — a position
  9. club — for dancing
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. ground — the earth
  18. prune — to trim
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. march — the month
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. march — the month
  24. mouse — the animal

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