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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: land · rush · root · leaves · stand · wax · pop · march

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. march — music
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pop — music
  5. root — of a word
  6. march — the month
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — to visit
  15. root — of a plant
  16. stand — to bear
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. rush — hurry
  20. march — the month
  21. land — to come down
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. root — the cause

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