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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. net — for catching
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. branch — a division
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. clip — a video
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. clip — for paper
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. clip — to cut

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