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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.

Make a worksheet

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: clip · bound · swing · wax · chair · trunk · arm · craft

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bound — obliged
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. craft — a skill
  17. clip — a video
  18. wax — to grow
  19. chair — a leader
  20. craft — boats
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. clip — for paper
  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