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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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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: dip · march · tube · mouse · bay · fork · mine · wax

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wax — to grow
  6. march — the month
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. march — the month
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mine — belonging to me

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