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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. net — after costs
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. capital — a city
  10. net — in sport
  11. sharp — clever
  12. net — for catching
  13. capital — money
  14. bound — obliged
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a committee
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bound — certain
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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