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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: bat · nail · kid · row · wax · tube · arm · mine

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. tube — a container
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tube — the underground
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mine — for digging
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. kid — child
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wax — in the ear

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