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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: pop · march · bowl · rule · trunk · chest · mark · wax

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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. pop — soda
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. chest — of your body
  7. march — music
  8. chest — a box
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. chest — of your body
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rule — a law
  14. pop — music
  15. march — the month
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. mark — a trace
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. rule — government
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wax — to grow
  24. mark — a grade

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