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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bat — the animal
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. wax — to grow
  12. net — in sport
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. court — for sport
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. track — a path
  17. court — of law
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. track — to keep track
  20. court — of a king
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bore — to drill
  24. plane — in geometry

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