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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: dip · date · tube · bank · wax · prune · march · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. prune — to trim
  3. march — music
  4. wake — a trail
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. dip — to sink
  7. date — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. tube — a container
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. tube — the underground
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. march — the month
  22. bank — for money
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. march — the month

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