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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: track · foot · file · prune · wax · cap · march · last

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. last — finally
  3. cap — of ice
  4. file — a document
  5. cap — a hat
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. march — the month
  12. track — to keep track
  13. file — a line of people
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. march — music
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. foot — a measure
  19. cap — a lid
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. last — final
  22. wax — to grow
  23. file — a tool
  24. last — to go on

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