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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 116 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: drill · sharp · saw · march · net · fall · rush · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. net — in sport
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. net — for catching
  10. march — music
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. sharp — clever
  18. saw — the tool
  19. net — after costs
  20. rush — hurry
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. fall — to drop
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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