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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 124 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wax — to grow
  3. firm — a company
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. last — to go on
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. board — to get on
  9. net — after costs
  10. sharp — clever
  11. last — finally
  12. net — in sport
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. firm — decided
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. firm — steady
  20. last — final
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. net — for catching
  24. sharp — exactly

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