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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: bass · kick · spell · net · date · wax · pit · hand

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pit — in a race
  4. net — in sport
  5. kick — in football
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bass — the fish
  8. net — after costs
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. hand — help
  11. date — the fruit
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. spell — letters
  15. hand — in cards
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. net — for catching
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pit — a hole
  22. spell — magic
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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