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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · mine · arm · wax · saw · fine

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. fine — all right
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. saw — the tool
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wax — to grow
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bat — the animal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mine — belonging to me

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