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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 116 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. ground — a position
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. craft — boats
  6. scale — in music
  7. wax — to grow
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. scale — size or range
  10. ground — the earth
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. charge — in control
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. charge — a price
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. craft — a skill
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. charge — electricity
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. ground — crushed

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