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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 · current · firm · drill · row · march · squash · object

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. object — a thing
  5. current — of water
  6. current — electric
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. firm — decided
  9. object — to protest
  10. row — a line
  11. drill — army training
  12. march — music
  13. drill — a practice
  14. march — the month
  15. wax — to grow
  16. row — to paddle
  17. current — happening now
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. object — an aim
  22. firm — steady
  23. march — the month
  24. drill — the tool

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