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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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. scale — size or range
  4. saw — the tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. spring — of water
  8. press — to push
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. net — after costs
  11. season — in sport
  12. press — a publisher
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. spring — a coil
  16. wax — to grow
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. season — of the year
  20. spring — the season
  21. press — newspapers
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. saw — the tool
  24. scale — in music

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