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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wax — to grow
  5. march — the month
  6. field — for sport
  7. cue — for pool
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. field — a subject
  11. march — the month
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. field — farmland
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. march — music
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cue — a hint
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for golf
  24. leaves — lets stay

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