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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: march · ball · wax · arm · spell · rash · rest · cabinet

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rest — a break
  6. ball — a dance
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spell — letters
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rash — hasty
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. rash — a series
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. rest — what's left
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. spell — magic
  23. march — the month
  24. wax — for sculpting

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