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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. object — to protest
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. object — a thing
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. net — for catching
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. object — an aim
  24. wind — moving air

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