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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · mark · deal · chest · net · bowl

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wax — to grow
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. net — after costs
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. net — for catching
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. net — in sport
  17. chest — a box
  18. mark — a trace

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