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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: march · dip · club · wax · roll · bore · wind · bulb

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. march — the month
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bore — to drill
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bulb — for light
  13. club — a group
  14. roll — a list
  15. dip — to sink
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. roll — a cake
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — for dancing
  22. march — music
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. march — the month

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