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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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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: chest · kick · jam · ball · wax · arm · lash · saw

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wax — to grow
  3. ball — a dance
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. ball — a great time
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. chest — of your body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. chest — a box
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. saw — the tool
  17. kick — in football
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. wax — for sculpting

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