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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 · bore · degree · ground · lean · craft · bulb · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bulb — for light
  4. craft — boats
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. net — for catching
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wax — to grow
  15. ground — the earth
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to drill
  19. degree — temperature
  20. net — in sport
  21. ground — a position
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. degree — an amount
  24. lean — to bend

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