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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. wax — to grow
  5. march — the month
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bear — the animal
  9. march — music
  10. mug — a cup
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. can — to be able to
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mug — a face
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mug — to rob
  23. chest — a box
  24. march — the month

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