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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: prune · mate · wax · present · pit · bear · march · staff

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. staff — a stick
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mate — a friend
  9. present — a gift
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. present — there
  12. prune — to trim
  13. present — the time now
  14. march — the month
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mate — to breed
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mate — a partner

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