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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: march · jam · kick · band · wake · mate · mark · wax

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mark — a grade
  3. march — music
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. kick — in football
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mate — a friend
  9. band — a music group
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mate — to breed
  17. march — the month
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mate — a partner
  21. band — a ring
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wake — a trail
  24. band — a rubber band

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