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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: last · wax · bulb · mate · shower · march · swing · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. swing — in golf
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. march — the month
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. swing — to play on
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. swing — music
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. march — the month
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fine — high quality
  15. shower — rain
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fine — all right
  20. wax — to grow
  21. march — music
  22. bulb — for light
  23. last — finally
  24. bulb — for light

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