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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: arm · stand · land · roll · wax · lie · wound · straw

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lie — to recline
  6. roll — a cake
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wound — an injury
  15. roll — a list
  16. land — a country
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — ground
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. land — to come down
  24. lie — an untruth

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