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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.

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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: stem · track · trunk · scale · bore · march · drill · wax

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. march — the month
  3. track — to keep track
  4. march — music
  5. drill — a practice
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. march — the month
  10. track — a path
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. track — a song
  15. wax — to grow
  16. scale — size or range
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. drill — army training
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. drill — the tool
  23. scale — in music
  24. stem — of a plant

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