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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: key · wax · bulb · fall · last · march · bark · date

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. last — to go on
  3. bulb — for light
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bulb — for light
  6. last — finally
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. key — in music
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. last — final
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bark — to shout
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. fall — the season
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bulb — of a plant

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