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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.

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 · sharp · wind · firm · arm · pitcher · row · mouse

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. row — a line
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. row — to paddle
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wind — moving air
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — a company

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