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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. march — the month
  6. land — a country
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. pass — a permit
  11. land — ground
  12. rush — hurry
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. march — the month
  15. fall — to drop
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. march — music
  19. wax — to grow
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. land — to come down

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