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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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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 · wax · straw · foot · cue · lash · prune · present

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. wax — to grow
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. present — a gift
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cue — a signal
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cue — a hint
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. present — there
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cue — for pool
  22. present — the time now
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. foot — the bottom

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