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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. march — music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wax — to grow
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. drill — the tool
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. drill — army training
  14. rest — what's left
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rest — what's left
  17. march — the month
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rest — a break
  21. drill — a practice
  22. march — the month
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bear — 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