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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: mark · fine · march · wind · wax · bear · wound · pitcher

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. march — the month
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wax — to grow
  8. march — the month
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mark — a grade
  11. march — music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bear — to put up with

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