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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wind — moving air
  3. last — finally
  4. wax — to grow
  5. suit — to fit
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. last — to go on
  12. net — for catching
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. net — in sport
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. deal — to handle
  20. last — final
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wind — moving air
  23. net — after costs
  24. suit — in cards

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