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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: fine · toast · leaves · coach · bark · march · cell · wax

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. march — the month
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fine — high quality
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. toast — bread
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. march — music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bark — to shout
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cell — in biology
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  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