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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 · mate · ruler · straw · date · face · root · march

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. face — to confront
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mate — a friend
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. root — of a word
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. root — of a plant
  15. march — the month
  16. mate — a partner
  17. date — the fruit
  18. root — the cause
  19. march — the month
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mate — to breed
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. ruler — for measuring

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