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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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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 · tear · date · wound · key · wax · kick · saw

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. saw — the tool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. kick — in football
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wax — to grow
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wound — an injury
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. key — in music
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. date — the fruit
  18. saw — the tool
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — for a lock
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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