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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 116 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: deal · march · saw · bark · nail · lean · rush · wax

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. saw — the tool
  7. march — the month
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. saw — the tool
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lean — thin
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bark — to shout

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