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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: wax · arm · march · last · jam · trunk · race · toast

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. last — finally
  4. race — the arms race
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. wax — to grow
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. last — final
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. race — a contest
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. march — the month
  16. last — to go on
  17. toast — bread
  18. race — humankind
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. march — the month
  24. arm — a part of something

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