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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: lash · wax · ruler · march · bear · arm · chair · prune

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wax — to grow
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. march — the month
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. march — the month
  21. prune — to trim
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. chair — a leader
  24. march — music

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