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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: pound · kid · plane · stand · wax · mark · arm · pit

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wax — to grow
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. plane — a tool
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pound — a weight
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a hole
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. mark — a trace

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