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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wound — an injury
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wound — an injury
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bass — low music
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. arm — a part of something

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