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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: wax · rush · hide · bear · lean · march · bark · capital

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. march — the month
  3. lean — thin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. capital — money
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bark — to shout
  14. march — the month
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. lean — to bend
  17. capital — a city
  18. march — music
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wax — to grow

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