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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. march — the month
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pound — a weight
  7. net — in sport
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. net — after costs
  10. rash — hasty
  11. march — the month
  12. season — of the year
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. rash — a series
  16. net — for catching
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wax — to grow
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. march — music
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. pound — for dogs

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