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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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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 · craft · fork · snap · pitch · wax · rock · march

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. snap — to click
  4. craft — boats
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. march — the month
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rock — a stone
  13. march — music
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. wax — to grow
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. march — the month
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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