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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. mark — a trace
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. land — a country
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mark — a grade
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wind — moving air
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wax — to grow
  21. hand — help
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wax — for sculpting

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