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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: tube · squash · hand · march · wax · saw · key · spring

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. spring — a coil
  3. march — music
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. spring — the season
  6. wax — to grow
  7. key — the most important part
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. march — the month
  10. hand — help
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. tube — a container
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. squash — the sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. hand — in cards
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. squash — to crush
  20. tube — the underground
  21. key — in music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. key — for a lock
  24. spring — of water

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