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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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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: pitcher · arm · wax · wake · racket · last · march · trunk

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. march — the month
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. last — finally
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. last — final
  11. march — music
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wax — to grow
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. march — the month
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. last — to go on

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