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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: last · wake · ruler · wax · racket · trunk · season · pound

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. pound — a weight
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. last — to go on
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. season — in sport
  15. last — final
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. last — finally
  20. season — of the year
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. racket — for tennis

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