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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. net — after costs
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. track — a path
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stem — to come from
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. track — to keep track
  17. net — for catching
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. track — a song
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. fan — to cool the air

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