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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. march — the month
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. mate — to breed
  9. track — a path
  10. scale — size or range
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. march — music
  13. scale — in music
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — a weight
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. scale — for weighing

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