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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: content · wax · march · tear · pop · craft

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pop — to visit
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. tear — to rip
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. march — the month
  9. pop — music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. content — the amount
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. march — music
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pop — soda
  16. content — happy
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wax — to grow

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