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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: wax · tube · degree · foot · arm · racket · kid · rock

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rock — music
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kid — child
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. degree — an amount
  15. foot — a measure
  16. degree — temperature
  17. tube — the underground
  18. degree — from a university
  19. tube — a container
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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