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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. row — a line
  4. net — after costs
  5. wax — to grow
  6. lean — thin
  7. bank — for money
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bank — of a river
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. net — for catching
  15. pass — a permit
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bank — for money
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. lean — to rest against

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