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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.

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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: wax · tube · prune · saw · march · season · ground · face

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. season — of the year
  3. prune — to trim
  4. saw — the tool
  5. tube — a container
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. face — to confront
  8. march — the month
  9. ground — the earth
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wax — to grow
  12. ground — crushed
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ground — a position
  16. saw — the tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. face — part of the head
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. tube — the underground
  22. march — the month
  23. face — to point toward
  24. season — in sport

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