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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pound — a weight
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. stock — shares
  8. bear — the animal
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. bound — certain
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rest — a break
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stock — goods
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bound — obliged

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