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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 · bowl · wax · bay · ruler · nail · degree · field

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wax — to grow
  8. degree — from a university
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. degree — temperature
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. field — a subject
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. arm — a part of something

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