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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bank — of a river
  6. last — to go on
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. net — for catching
  9. spring — a coil
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bank — for money
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. spring — the season
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wax — to grow
  21. spring — of water
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. field — for sport
  24. bank — for money

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