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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. net — in sport
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. net — after costs
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. net — for catching
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bulb — for light
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. current — of water
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. saw — the tool

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