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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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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: wind · arm · kid · wax · chair · bay · stick · fine

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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 — part of the body
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wax — to grow
  6. fine — high quality
  7. kid — child
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fine — all right
  14. kid — to tease
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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