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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: saw · ground · bass · arm · wax · bound · nail · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wax — to grow
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bass — the fish
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bound — obliged
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bass — low music
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bound — tied together
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bound — certain

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