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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: racket · stock · net · object · wax · arm · clip · saw

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. clip — to cut
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. clip — a video
  7. net — after costs
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. object — to protest
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. net — in sport
  14. object — a thing
  15. stock — goods
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stock — shares
  19. object — an aim
  20. net — for catching
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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