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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: wave · wax · fall · march · race · bound · saw · object

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. race — the arms race
  10. object — an aim
  11. fall — to drop
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. saw — the tool
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. object — a thing
  19. fall — the season
  20. wax — to grow
  21. object — to protest
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. saw — the tool
  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