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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. kick — in football
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. net — after costs
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bass — the fish
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. craft — a skill
  22. plane — a tool
  23. game — a match
  24. wax — to grow

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