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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · wax · rash · staff · clip · jam · arm · stem

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. staff — employees
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. row — to paddle
  13. clip — for paper
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. clip — a video
  16. stem — to come from
  17. staff — employees
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rash — hasty
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. row — a line

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