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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bank — for money
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bank — for money
  8. net — for catching
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. net — in sport
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. season — of the year
  17. fine — all right
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wax — to grow
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. net — after costs
  24. bank — of a river

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