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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · key · bat · march · clip · object · rest · can

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. object — to protest
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rest — a break
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. march — the month
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. can — a tin
  12. clip — to cut
  13. key — the most important part
  14. march — the month
  15. can — to be able to
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — an aim
  18. key — for a lock
  19. clip — a video
  20. can — a tin
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. march — music
  24. key — in music

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