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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 · chair · mark · bulb · fall · kid · net

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. mark — a trace
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. net — in sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. net — for catching
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fall — the season
  14. net — after costs
  15. wax — to grow
  16. fall — to drop
  17. kid — to tease
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bulb — for light
  22. kid — child
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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