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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rash · capital · fine · cell · pitcher · rush · wax

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rash — hasty
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. fine — all right
  6. capital — money
  7. rush — hurry
  8. march — the month
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. capital — a city
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wax — to grow
  19. march — the month
  20. rash — a series
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pitcher — a jug

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