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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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fall — the season
  4. wax — to grow
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. march — the month
  13. content — happy
  14. march — music
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. content — the amount
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a trace

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