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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: deal · season · lie · arm · chest · race · nail · wax

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chest — of your body
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. race — humankind
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. season — of the year
  15. chest — of your body
  16. race — a contest
  17. wax — to grow
  18. deal — to handle
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. lie — to recline
  21. chest — a box
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. season — in sport
  24. race — the arms race

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