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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wake — a trail
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. lean — thin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lean — to bend
  7. net — in sport
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. tear — to rip
  11. net — for catching
  12. wax — to grow
  13. tear — from crying
  14. root — of a word
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. tear — from crying
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a plant
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. fan — to cool the air

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