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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mate — a partner
  4. current — of water
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. current — electric
  8. wax — to grow
  9. can — a tin
  10. current — happening now
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mate — to breed
  13. can — a tin
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — to bear
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. can — to be able to
  24. arm — part of the body

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