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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: net · hand · ground · wax · spell · mark · rush · can

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. net — for catching
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. net — in sport
  5. mark — a grade
  6. spell — letters
  7. hand — in cards
  8. ground — a position
  9. mark — a trace
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wax — to grow
  14. can — a tin
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rush — hurry
  19. net — after costs
  20. can — to be able to
  21. spell — a short time
  22. can — a tin
  23. spell — magic
  24. mark — to pay attention

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