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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rock — music
  5. suit — clothes
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chest — of your body
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. net — after costs
  10. chest — a box
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. suit — to fit
  17. rock — a stone
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. suit — in cards
  24. prune — to trim

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