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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. net — in sport
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. club — for golf
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. season — of the year
  12. hand — in cards
  13. staff — a stick
  14. current — of water
  15. pound — a weight
  16. staff — employees
  17. net — for catching
  18. wax — to grow
  19. current — happening now
  20. club — for dancing
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. net — after costs
  23. current — electric
  24. club — a group

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