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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — a company
  6. net — in sport
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. net — for catching
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wax — to grow
  19. file — a tool
  20. march — the month
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. firm — steady
  24. mine — belonging to me

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