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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: wax · bear · trunk · pound · tube · bowl · pass · cabinet

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. tube — a container
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bear — the animal
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pass — a permit

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