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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: ruler · face · hand · tear · fan · scale · arm · wax

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. wax — to grow
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. tear — from crying
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. face — to confront
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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