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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: land · pound · sharp · trunk · season · race · wax · bowl

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. sharp — clever
  5. land — ground
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. season — of the year
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. land — a country
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. season — in sport
  15. race — humankind
  16. land — to come down
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. sharp — with an edge

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