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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. scale — in music
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. scale — size or range
  5. degree — temperature
  6. dip — to sink
  7. tube — the underground
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. march — the month
  12. degree — an amount
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. last — final
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. last — to go on
  17. degree — from a university
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. march — music
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. wax — to grow
  22. tube — a container
  23. last — finally
  24. wax — in the ear

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