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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. object — an aim
  3. net — in sport
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. row — a line
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. row — to paddle
  13. object — a thing
  14. bulb — for light
  15. ground — a position
  16. object — to protest
  17. net — for catching
  18. wax — to grow
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bulb — for light

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