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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: arm · tear · march · wake · wax · bear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wax — to grow
  4. march — music
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. march — the month
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. march — the month
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. arm — part of the body

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