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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bound — tied together
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. march — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bound — obliged
  11. march — the month
  12. bound — certain
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. track — a song
  16. tube — a container
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pop — soda
  22. march — the month
  23. tube — the underground
  24. track — a path

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