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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: cabinet · bay · face · pop · band · wax · march · drill

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. pop — music
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. band — a ring
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. march — music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. drill — army training
  15. face — part of the head
  16. march — the month
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wax — to grow
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. face — to confront
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. march — the month
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. band — a music group

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