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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. track — a song
  4. wax — to grow
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. tear — from crying
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pound — a weight
  17. ground — a position
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — a trace
  23. march — music
  24. leaves — of a tree

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