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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. file — a document
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. rash — a series
  11. file — a tool
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. file — a line of people
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. rash — hasty

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