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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: ruler · march · fan · row · wax · suit · snap · drill

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. row — to paddle
  6. suit — to fit
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wax — to grow
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. march — the month
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. march — the month
  21. suit — clothes
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. march — music
  24. suit — in cards

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