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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 120 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: mate · mark · rule · march · fork · wax · ball · saw

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rule — a law
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. march — music
  7. fork — in a road
  8. march — the month
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. saw — the tool
  12. march — the month
  13. ball — a dance
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mate — to breed
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — a partner

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