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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
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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 · can · bark · wax · temple · foot · cap · pass

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. cap — a hat
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cap — a lid
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. can — a tin
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. pass — a permit
  13. can — a tin
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cap — of ice
  18. march — music
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. march — the month
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. can — to be able to
  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