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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. net — in sport
  5. shower — rain
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. net — after costs
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. scale — in music
  16. shower — to wash
  17. spell — letters
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. net — for catching
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spell — magic
  24. scale — for weighing

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