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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · wax · land · hide · roll · foot · court · bear

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bear — the animal
  7. court — of law
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. roll — a cake
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. court — of a king
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. roll — a list
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. court — for sport
  20. land — a country
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. land — to come down
  24. arm — part of the body

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