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

Word bank: wax · board · dip · march · rule · wake

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rule — a law
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. board — a committee
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wax — to grow
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. wake — a trail
  15. dip — to sink
  16. march — the month
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rule — government

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