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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. net — after costs
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bank — for money
  7. net — in sport
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rash — a series
  10. content — the amount
  11. bank — for money
  12. content — happy
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wax — to grow
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bank — of a river
  23. net — for catching
  24. leaves — of a tree

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