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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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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: march · stick · saw · band · wax · deal · wake · cap

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. march — music
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cap — a hat
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. cap — a lid
  14. saw — the tool
  15. band — a music group
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. cap — of ice
  18. march — the month
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — before a funeral

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