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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: row · march · mug · stick · shower · cabinet · wax · bear

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mug — a face
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. march — the month
  15. row — a line
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. march — the month
  22. shower — rain
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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