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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: wax · drill · current · fork · march · last

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. march — the month
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. current — happening now
  6. drill — army training
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. last — final
  10. current — of water
  11. last — finally
  12. last — to go on
  13. drill — the tool
  14. march — music
  15. current — electric
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. march — the month
  18. fork — in a road

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