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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · mate · prune · fan · wax · hide · march · present

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mate — a partner
  4. march — the month
  5. present — there
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. march — music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. present — a gift
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mate — a friend
  19. march — the month
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. present — the time now
  23. mate — to breed
  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