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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. track — a path
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wax — to grow
  5. saw — the tool
  6. track — a song
  7. net — in sport
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. saw — the tool
  11. net — after costs
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. foot — a measure
  15. season — in sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. hide — animal skin

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