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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wax — to grow
  3. march — the month
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. present — a gift
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. present — there
  9. shower — rain
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. present — the time now
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fork — in a road
  17. object — to protest
  18. wound — an injury
  19. object — a thing
  20. march — the month
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. object — an aim
  24. march — music

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