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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · arm · pitcher · leaves · wound · wax · toast · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wax — to grow
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wound — an injury
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bear — the animal
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — bread
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. prune — to trim

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