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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: march · band · squash · bear · cap · wax · stick · craft

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. band — a ring
  6. cap — a lid
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. band — a music group
  9. march — the month
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cap — a hat
  13. march — music
  14. craft — boats
  15. cap — of ice
  16. march — the month
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bear — the animal
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bear — the animal
  21. craft — a skill
  22. wax — to grow
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bear — to put up with

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