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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bound — tied together
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. net — in sport
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bound — certain
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. net — after costs
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wax — to grow
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wax — in the ear

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