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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: perch · tear · wound · march · chip · press · fine · wax

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. perch — the fish
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wound — an injury
  7. tear — to rip
  8. chip — to eat
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. march — music
  13. chip — for betting
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fine — all right
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. march — the month
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fine — high quality
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. press — newspapers
  23. wound — an injury
  24. press — to push

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