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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. staff — employees
  3. saw — the tool
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. saw — the tool
  7. net — after costs
  8. staff — a stick
  9. perch — the fish
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. net — in sport
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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