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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. net — after costs
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. squash — to crush
  8. snap — to click
  9. net — in sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. current — electric
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. current — happening now
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. net — for catching
  24. current — of water

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