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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: bark · march · cabinet · wax · swing · nail · scale · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. march — the month
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — in music
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. roll — a list
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. march — music
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. swing — in golf
  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