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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: bear · trunk · pop · band · bound · arm · degree · wax

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. degree — from a university
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bound — certain
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pop — music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bear — the animal
  14. degree — temperature
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. degree — an amount
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bear — the animal

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