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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 120 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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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: plane · rash · mark · arm · cold · suit · wax · net

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cold — not warm
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. suit — in cards
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. suit — to fit
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. rash — a series
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. net — in sport
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. suit — clothes
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wax — to grow
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mark — a grade

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