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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · bear · rush · racket · chair · wax · march · mouse

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bear — the animal
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wax — to grow
  22. march — music
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mouse — the animal

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