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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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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 · branch · bay · pit · march · shower · wax · fall

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wax — to grow
  3. fall — the season
  4. pit — a hole
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. deal — to handle
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. branch — a division
  13. march — the month
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pit — in a race
  17. march — the month
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. fall — to drop
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. shower — rain
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — an agreement

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