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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. season — in sport
  2. wax — to grow
  3. firm — steady
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. season — of the year
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. firm — decided
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bore — to drill
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. net — for catching
  21. bore — to tire
  22. firm — a company
  23. net — in sport
  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