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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: ruler · foot · wax · stock · last · key · leaves · march

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. stock — shares
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. key — for a lock
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wax — to grow
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. stock — goods
  18. last — final
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. last — to go on
  21. key — in music
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. last — finally
  24. march — the month

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