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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 120 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 · chip · present · lean · swing · fork · bore · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. swing — music
  4. wax — to grow
  5. march — music
  6. present — the time now
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. present — a gift
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bore — to drill
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bore — to tire
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. lean — to bend
  19. chip — to eat
  20. lean — thin
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. present — there

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