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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: trunk · suit · wax · wake · wound · pop · march · kick

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. suit — to fit
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pop — music
  7. kick — in football
  8. march — music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. march — the month
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wake — a trail
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — in cards
  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