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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.

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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: present · wax · mate · march · trunk · coach · fan · last

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. march — music
  4. mate — a partner
  5. march — the month
  6. last — finally
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mate — to breed
  10. present — a gift
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wax — to grow
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. last — to go on
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. present — the time now
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. march — the month
  22. last — final
  23. present — there
  24. mate — a friend

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