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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · racket · wax · lean · nail · bass · march · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. march — music
  4. wax — to grow
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. lean — thin
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. land — to come down
  15. lean — to bend
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. land — a country

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