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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wax — to grow
  3. net — after costs
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. current — of water
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. current — electric
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. can — a tin
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. ground — a position
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. net — for catching
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. net — in sport
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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