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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: net · arm · trunk · race · tear · dip · bay · wax

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wax — to grow
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. net — after costs
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. tear — from crying
  8. race — a contest
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. dip — to sink
  15. net — in sport
  16. race — the arms race
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. net — for catching
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. tear — from crying
  22. race — humankind
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

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