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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — steady
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. season — in sport
  10. net — in sport
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. net — for catching
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. firm — a company
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. season — of the year
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pound — for dogs

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