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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: trunk · wax · fine · foot · firm · mate · march · field

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. field — for sport
  4. mate — to breed
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. march — the month
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. firm — steady
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. firm — a company
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. march — music
  14. firm — decided
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. march — the month
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. fine — high quality
  22. wax — to grow
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. fine — all right

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