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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 · wind · pop · jam · mark · chest · wax · bowl

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pop — music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. chest — of your body
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. pop — to visit
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chest — a box
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wind — moving air
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. mark — a trace
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pop — soda

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