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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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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: fall · wave · cue · mine · trunk · march · pitch · wake

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. march — the month
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wake — a trail
  7. march — the month
  8. pitch — completely
  9. cue — for pool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fall — the season
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cue — a signal
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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