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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: pound · foot · arm · cell · wax · rush · clip · key

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. key — in music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cell — a phone
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. clip — a video
  11. pound — a weight
  12. clip — for paper
  13. key — for a lock
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. key — the most important part
  21. clip — to cut
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — to hurry

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