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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: chest · tube · wax · pass · pound · prune · lean · deal

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pound — a weight
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. chest — a box
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. lean — thin
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wax — to grow
  14. deal — to handle
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. chest — of your body
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tube — in a tire

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