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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. march — the month
  5. can — a tin
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. spring — the season
  9. track — a path
  10. spring — of water
  11. march — music
  12. cue — for pool
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. track — a song
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fall — to drop
  19. track — to keep track
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. march — the month
  22. cue — a signal
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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