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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: toast · arm · hide · ruler · wax · cap · bat · lean

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. lean — thin
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wax — to grow
  8. cap — a hat
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. toast — bread
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lean — to bend
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bat — the animal
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. cap — of ice
  24. hide — to keep secret

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