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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 · temple · wax · capital · bulb · chest · racket · bear

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bulb — for light
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. capital — a city
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. chest — a box
  8. bear — the animal
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bear — the animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. capital — money
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bulb — for light
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. wax — to grow

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