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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. saw — the tool
  3. present — the time now
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. present — there
  7. bound — certain
  8. can — a tin
  9. season — of the year
  10. present — a gift
  11. saw — the tool
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wax — to grow
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bound — tied together
  16. net — in sport
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. net — after costs
  19. can — a tin
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. season — in sport

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