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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: craft · wake · march · wax · chest · pop · present · kick

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. present — the time now
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. march — the month
  5. pop — music
  6. chest — a box
  7. craft — boats
  8. march — music
  9. present — a gift
  10. march — the month
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. wax — to grow
  13. craft — a skill
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. present — there
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. pop — soda
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pop — to visit
  22. kick — in football
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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