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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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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: wax · prune · fork · bay · snap · rest · board · march

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. board — a committee
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. prune — to trim
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. board — to get on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. march — the month
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. march — the month
  19. rest — a break
  20. snap — to click
  21. wax — to grow
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. march — music
  24. rest — what's left

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