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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: safe · clip · racket · lean · wax · arm · pound · leaves

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. lean — to bend
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. wax — to grow
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. clip — for paper
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. clip — to cut
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pound — a weight
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. clip — a video
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. lean — thin
  24. leaves — to go away

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