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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 120 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: bat · lean · rest · march · present · wax · spell · stand

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. march — the month
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rest — a break
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. march — music
  11. present — a gift
  12. wax — to grow
  13. spell — a short time
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. spell — magic
  17. lean — thin
  18. present — there
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spell — letters
  21. stand — to bear
  22. march — the month
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bat — in an idiom

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