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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: pound · bear · wax · trunk · ball · pit · last · arm

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pound — a weight
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wax — to grow
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. last — to go on
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. last — final
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pit — in a race
  16. ball — a great time
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bear — the animal
  21. ball — a dance
  22. last — finally
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bear — the animal

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