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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. suit — to fit
  2. current — of water
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. march — music
  6. can — to be able to
  7. suit — in cards
  8. can — a tin
  9. wax — to grow
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. can — a tin
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. suit — clothes
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. kid — to tease
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. march — the month
  21. kid — child
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — electric
  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