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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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468
Word bank
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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. branch — a division
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. cue — for pool
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cue — a hint
  16. wind — moving air
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. prune — to trim
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. cue — a signal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — to grow
  24. prune — the fruit

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