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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mug — a face
  4. net — for catching
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a cup
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. net — after costs

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