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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: mouse · chest · safe · coach · arm · wax · wound · field

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. field — for sport
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. field — farmland
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. field — a subject
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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