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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: band · mug · wax · arm · fall · lie · rest · mine

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lie — to recline
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fall — to drop
  9. band — a ring
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. band — a music group
  18. fall — the season
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rest — what's left
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wax — to grow

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