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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: pitch · fall · patient · arm · chair · trunk · pound · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fall — to drop
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fall — the season
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pitch — completely

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