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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: pit · track · face · wax · can · bat · prune · march

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. march — the month
  3. track — a path
  4. can — a tin
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bat — the animal
  12. can — to be able to
  13. march — the month
  14. can — a tin
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pit — in a race
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. march — music
  19. track — a song
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. prune — to trim
  22. track — to keep track
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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