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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.

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: snap · wax · mate · rush · rock · march · bay · tube

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. snap — to click
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mate — a partner
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. march — music
  15. mate — to breed
  16. march — the month
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. march — the month
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. tube — a container
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bay — a horse colour

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