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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. net — in sport
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. foot — a measure
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. snap — to click
  21. rush — hurry
  22. capital — a city
  23. net — after costs
  24. capital — 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