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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: object · wax · branch · march · season · plane · rock · capital

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  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. march — the month
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. capital — a city
  4. object — an aim
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. object — to protest
  7. season — in sport
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. march — music
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. capital — money
  12. rock — a stone
  13. season — of the year
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. object — a thing
  16. wax — to grow
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. plane — a tool
  21. branch — a division
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  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