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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.

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: rule · pop · can · wax · drill · mine · land · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pop — music
  6. drill — army training
  7. march — music
  8. land — to come down
  9. can — a tin
  10. pop — soda
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. can — a tin
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rule — a law
  16. land — ground
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. can — to be able to
  20. land — a country
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. march — the month
  24. mine — for digging

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