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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: suit · bark · kick · wax · march · race · chair · fan

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. kick — in football
  4. chair — a leader
  5. suit — to fit
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. race — a contest
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wax — to grow
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. march — the month
  17. suit — in cards
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. march — the month
  20. race — the arms race
  21. suit — clothes
  22. race — humankind
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. kick — with a leg

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