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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: wax · temple · march · deal · ball · roll · clip · current

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. march — the month
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. clip — for paper
  5. current — of water
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. clip — a video
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. deal — to handle
  11. roll — a list
  12. ball — a great time
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. march — the month
  15. current — electric
  16. roll — a cake
  17. march — music
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wax — to grow
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. current — happening now
  24. temple — a place of worship

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