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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bank — of a river
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. march — the month
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bank — for money
  9. swing — music
  10. march — music
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bank — for money
  15. lie — to recline
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. swing — in golf
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. swing — to play on
  24. squash — to crush

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