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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: mark · wake · date · pitcher · kick · field · row · wax

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. row — a line
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. kick — in football
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. field — a subject
  9. row — to paddle
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mark — a grade
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. date — the fruit
  15. field — farmland
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wax — to grow
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mark — a trace
  20. field — for sport
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pitcher — a jug

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