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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: arm · scale · lean · mine · wax · lash · ball · game

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. scale — size or range
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. scale — in music
  14. lean — thin
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wax — to grow
  21. game — wild animals
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. ball — a dance

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