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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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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: kid · arm · wax · bay · mark · fan · patient · dip

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. kid — child
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. dip — to sink
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kid — to tease
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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