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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. clip — for paper
  3. chair — a leader
  4. net — after costs
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bank — of a river
  7. clip — a video
  8. wax — to grow
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bank — for money
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bank — for money
  14. net — in sport
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. clip — to cut
  24. hide — to keep secret

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