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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ground — a position
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. tube — a container
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. march — music
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. mine — for digging
  14. march — the month
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mark — a grade
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wax — to grow
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. ground — the earth

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