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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: prune · pitch · ground · squash · wax · arm · bound · tube

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. tube — the underground
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pitch — completely
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. prune — to trim
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bound — tied together
  13. ground — a position
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. squash — to crush
  17. tube — a container
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bound — certain
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. arm — part of the body

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