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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 · cabinet · mouse · rash · leaves · bat · tube · wax

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. tube — the underground
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rash — hasty
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. rash — a series

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