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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ground — the earth
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. ground — a position
  5. season — in sport
  6. wax — to grow
  7. band — a ring
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. march — the month
  12. season — of the year
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. ground — crushed
  18. march — the month
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a music group
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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