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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · saw · ruler · march · stem · coach · arm · face

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. march — music
  8. wax — to grow
  9. face — to confront
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. march — the month
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. march — the month
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stem — to come from
  24. saw — the tool

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