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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.

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: arm · trunk · nail · wax · game · calf · capital · pound

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wax — to grow
  5. capital — money
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. game — wild animals
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. capital — a city
  14. pound — a weight
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. game — a match
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. wax — for sculpting

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