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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.

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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 · wake · bat · lash · pitch · prune · pass · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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. march — music
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. march — the month
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wax — in the ear

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