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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: rest · track · mark · march · wind · key · wax · branch

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rest — what's left
  3. march — the month
  4. track — a song
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wax — to grow
  10. track — a path
  11. march — music
  12. branch — a division
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wind — moving air
  15. key — for a lock
  16. mark — a grade
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mark — a trace
  19. key — in music
  20. march — the month
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mark — to pay attention

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