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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. net — after costs
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — help
  6. net — for catching
  7. band — a ring
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pit — a hole
  11. perch — the fish
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a music group
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. net — in sport
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wound — an injury

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