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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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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bank — of a river
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bat — the animal
  10. suit — to fit
  11. bank — for money
  12. rest — a break
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rest — what's left
  16. suit — clothes
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rest — what's left
  19. suit — in cards
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bank — for money
  23. bore — to tire
  24. last — finally

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