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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: arm · bulb · clip · trunk · charge · last · wax · firm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. charge — electricity
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. last — finally
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. charge — a price
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wax — to grow
  15. last — final
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — decided
  18. clip — for paper
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. last — to go on
  21. firm — steady
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. charge — in control
  24. clip — a video

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