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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: lash · bank · row · mouse · wax · arm · patient · spring

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. spring — of water
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bank — for money
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. spring — a coil
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wax — to grow
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. row — to paddle
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. spring — the season
  20. bank — for money
  21. row — a line
  22. bank — of a river
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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