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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: jam · court · rule · face · staff · wax · march · bay

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wax — to grow
  5. march — music
  6. rule — government
  7. face — to confront
  8. march — the month
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. march — the month
  12. staff — employees
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. court — of a king
  15. face — to point toward
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. rule — a law
  18. court — of law
  19. face — part of the head
  20. court — for sport
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wax — in the ear

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