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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: date · degree · arm · lash · rest · wind · mouse · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. date — the fruit
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rest — a break
  24. date — on the calendar

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