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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.

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: content · last · arm · tube · game · wax · wind · mark

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. last — to go on
  5. content — the amount
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. content — happy
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mark — a grade
  13. tube — a container
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. last — finally
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mark — a trace
  20. last — final
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. tube — the underground
  24. arm — a part of something

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