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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. hand — help
  5. net — after costs
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stand — to bear
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. net — in sport
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. net — for catching

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