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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mark · fall · current · march · wax · stick · bass · ground

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ground — the earth
  5. current — electric
  6. ground — a position
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. march — music
  13. bass — low music
  14. mark — a trace
  15. current — happening now
  16. fall — to drop
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fall — the season
  21. current — of water
  22. bass — the fish
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wax — for sculpting

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