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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wax — to grow
  3. drill — army training
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. spell — a short time
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. drill — the tool
  11. net — in sport
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. spell — magic
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pound — a weight
  20. row — a line
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. spell — letters

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