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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. net — for catching
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bear — the animal
  5. staff — employees
  6. net — after costs
  7. row — a line
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. clip — a video
  11. row — to paddle
  12. staff — employees
  13. court — of law
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. net — in sport
  16. clip — to cut
  17. staff — a stick
  18. court — of a king
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. clip — for paper
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. court — for sport
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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