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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 120 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: wax · arm · ruler · land · patient · stem · prune · shower

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. land — to come down
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. shower — rain
  10. prune — to trim
  11. shower — to wash
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. land — ground
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wax — to grow
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. prune — to trim
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stem — to come from
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. land — a country

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