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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mate — a partner
  5. net — for catching
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mate — a friend
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. march — music
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bass — low music
  16. march — the month
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mate — to breed
  21. fork — in a road
  22. march — the month
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bass — the fish

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