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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rash — a series
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. net — for catching
  13. bound — certain
  14. net — after costs
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mate — a friend
  21. prune — to trim
  22. net — in sport
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. prune — the fruit

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