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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: arm · field · calf · wax · pitch · hand · bear · prune

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. hand — in cards
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. hand — help
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pitch — completely

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