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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 was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. net — in sport
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. net — for catching
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. patient — a sick person

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