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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. net — after costs
  3. can — to be able to
  4. cold — not warm
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bank — of a river
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. cold — an illness
  9. net — in sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bank — for money
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bank — for money
  14. wax — to grow
  15. prune — to trim
  16. can — a tin
  17. toast — bread
  18. can — a tin
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. net — for catching
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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