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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 120 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: club · arm · wave · lie · ruler · clip · shower · wax

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. shower — rain
  7. clip — a video
  8. club — for dancing
  9. clip — for paper
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wax — to grow
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. lie — to recline
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for golf
  24. clip — to cut

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