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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 116 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. spell — magic
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. net — for catching
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bank — for money
  16. saw — the tool
  17. net — in sport
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spell — letters
  24. saw — the tool

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