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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wax — to grow
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. net — in sport
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. board — a committee
  11. game — a match
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rock — a stone
  14. net — for catching
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. row — to paddle
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. row — a line
  20. board — to get on
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rock — music
  24. game — wild animals

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