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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 120 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: bound · degree · pitch · calf · prune · mug · arm · wax

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wax — to grow
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mug — to rob
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bound — certain
  14. pitch — completely
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mug — a cup
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mug — a face
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. degree — temperature

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