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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: mate · mark · bank · wax · bulb · stand · last · march

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bulb — for light
  4. march — music
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bank — for money
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wax — to grow
  12. last — to go on
  13. march — the month
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bank — of a river
  19. stand — to bear
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bank — for money
  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