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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: nail · stick · pitcher · wax · bark · clip · pound · arm

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. clip — to cut
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bark — to shout
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wax — to grow
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. clip — a video
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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