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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: hide · wax · stick · drill · hand · pound · march · rest

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. drill — army training
  6. rest — a break
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. hand — help
  9. wax — to grow
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. hand — in cards
  14. drill — the tool
  15. march — music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. march — the month
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. hide — to keep secret

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