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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: cap · arm · craft · spring · foot · wax · mate · firm

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. craft — boats
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. firm — steady
  5. foot — a measure
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. firm — decided
  9. spring — of water
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. firm — a company
  12. mate — to breed
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mate — a partner
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cap — of ice
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. spring — the season
  21. wax — to grow
  22. cap — a hat
  23. spring — a coil
  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