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

Word bank: net · arm · tear · nail · foot · cap · wax · deal

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. tear — to rip
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cap — a hat
  8. deal — to handle
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. tear — from crying
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. net — in sport
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cap — of ice
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. wax — to grow
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. cap — a lid
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. nail — for a hammer

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