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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bound — obliged
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. net — in sport
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bound — certain
  12. swing — in golf
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bound — tied together
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. net — for catching
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bark — to shout
  22. swing — music
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. lash — an eyelash

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