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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: arm · snap · club · nail · craft · wax · band · land

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. land — ground
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. snap — to click
  7. land — to come down
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. craft — a skill
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. club — for dancing
  13. band — a ring
  14. club — a group
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. land — a country
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. craft — boats
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. club — for golf
  24. band — a music group

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