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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · bark · kick · wax · march · race

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. suit — clothes
  3. march — the month
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — a contest
  6. march — the month
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. suit — to fit
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. suit — in cards
  16. march — music
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bark — to shout

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