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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: band · wax · march · racket · trunk · hide · prune · capital

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. march — the month
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. march — music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. capital — a city
  16. prune — to trim
  17. band — a music group
  18. march — the month
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. capital — money
  24. hide — to keep secret

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