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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: fall · arm · scale · craft · chip · rash · wax · root

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chip — to eat
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fall — the season
  6. rash — hasty
  7. scale — in music
  8. wax — to grow
  9. root — of a word
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. root — the cause
  12. rash — a series
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chip — for betting
  15. root — of a plant
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. fall — to drop
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rash — on the skin

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