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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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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: stand · wax · file · bay · arm · kid · lash · drill

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — to bear
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wax — to grow
  7. kid — child
  8. drill — the tool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. drill — army training
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. drill — a practice
  14. kid — to tease
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. file — a document
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. file — a tool
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. file — a line of people

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