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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 · jam · rock · arm · tear · pitcher · sharp · wax

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wax — to grow
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tear — from crying
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rock — music
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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