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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wax · hide · arm · kick · lean · scale · trunk · nail

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. kick — in football
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. lean — to bend
  6. scale — in music
  7. lean — thin
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. scale — size or range
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wax — to grow
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. hide — to keep secret

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