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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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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: bank · mark · present · wax · bowl · trunk · pitch · racket

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. present — a gift
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. wax — to grow
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. mark — a trace
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bank — for money
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. present — the time now
  15. bank — for money
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. present — there
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. bank — of a river
  21. pitch — completely
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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