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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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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: rule · snap · wax · arm · chest · craft · race · row

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. row — to paddle
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. race — humankind
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. craft — boats
  8. rule — government
  9. race — the arms race
  10. chest — of your body
  11. craft — a skill
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. race — a contest
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. wax — to grow
  17. rule — a law
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. row — a line

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