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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. scale — in music
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bank — of a river
  6. scale — size or range
  7. ground — a position
  8. capital — money
  9. net — after costs
  10. capital — a city
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bank — for money
  14. row — to paddle
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bank — for money
  17. fine — high quality
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. row — a line
  21. ground — crushed
  22. fine — all right
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. net — in sport

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