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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · fine · perch · wax · wind · net · deal · bark

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. net — in sport
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fine — all right
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. net — after costs
  16. wax — to grow
  17. net — for catching
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bark — to shout
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. perch — the fish
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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