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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 · chip · can · row · object · wax · fall · deal

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. chip — to eat
  3. object — a thing
  4. row — a line
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. can — a tin
  8. march — the month
  9. fall — to drop
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. fall — the season
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. can — a tin
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. object — an aim
  16. can — to be able to
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. march — music
  19. wax — to grow
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. chip — for betting
  22. fall — to drop
  23. row — to paddle
  24. march — the month

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