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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 116 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: wax · bear · march · face · file · bowl · mark · nail

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bear — the animal
  5. file — a tool
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. face — to point toward
  8. file — a document
  9. march — the month
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bear — the animal
  14. march — music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. face — to confront
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. file — a line of people

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