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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: arm · kid · ruler · bowl · field · stock · wax · can

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. arm — a part of something
  2. field — a subject
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. can — a tin
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. field — farmland
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. stock — shares
  13. field — for sport
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. stock — goods
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. can — a tin
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. kid — child
  22. can — to be able to
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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