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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: row · rush · hand · wax · band · lean · net · arm

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. row — a line
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. row — to paddle
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. band — a music group
  13. net — for catching
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rush — hurry
  19. net — in sport
  20. hand — help
  21. net — after costs
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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