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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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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 · wound · pound · band · bay · calf · deal · wax

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pound — a weight
  6. deal — to handle
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. march — the month
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. march — music
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. march — the month
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. deal — a big deal

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