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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. can — to be able to
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wax — to grow
  12. clip — to cut
  13. object — to protest
  14. can — a tin
  15. net — in sport
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ground — the earth
  18. can — a tin
  19. object — an aim
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. clip — a video
  24. object — a thing

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