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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: march · wax · cold · cell · wake · can · stand · ground

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cold — an illness
  4. ground — a position
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. march — the month
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cell — in biology
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stand — to bear
  17. can — a tin
  18. ground — the earth
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. march — music
  22. can — to be able to
  23. ground — crushed
  24. can — a tin

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