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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.

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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: stick · saw · bay · wax · lie · march · band · fall

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. band — a music group
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lie — to recline
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. fall — the season
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. band — a ring
  16. march — the month
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. wax — to grow
  21. march — the month
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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