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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.

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: spring · pitch · dip · last · trunk · wax · fork · wake

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. dip — to sink
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wax — to grow
  7. last — final
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. fork — in a road
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. spring — a coil
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. spring — the season
  17. pitch — completely
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. spring — of water
  21. wake — a trail
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. last — finally

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