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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
468
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: tear · bass · wind · wax · arm · mug · last · net

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. mug — a face
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. net — for catching
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bass — low music
  14. last — to go on
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wind — moving air
  18. net — in sport
  19. last — finally
  20. net — after costs
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. last — final
  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