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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: foot · prune · wax · jam · last · arm · fall · kick

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. fall — to drop
  9. prune — to trim
  10. last — final
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. last — to go on
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. last — finally
  23. kick — in football
  24. jam — in traffic

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