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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: ball · file · march · bear · chair · suit · wax · current

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. file — a document
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. march — music
  10. suit — clothes
  11. current — happening now
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. ball — a great time
  14. chair — a leader
  15. file — a tool
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bear — the animal
  18. current — of water
  19. suit — in cards
  20. wax — to grow
  21. current — electric
  22. suit — to fit
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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