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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 · net · lie · rash · scale · wax · hand · object

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. scale — size or range
  7. rash — hasty
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. lie — to recline
  10. hand — help
  11. rash — a series
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. net — for catching
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. object — an aim
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — to protest
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. scale — in music
  24. arm — a part of something

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