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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bay · prune · pop · wax · trunk · kid · march · land

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. land — a country
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. wax — to grow
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. march — the month
  9. kid — to tease
  10. land — ground
  11. march — music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pop — music
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. march — the month
  17. kid — child
  18. land — to come down
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. prune — the fruit

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