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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 120 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: firm · game · root · club · wax · net · fork · craft

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wax — to grow
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — steady
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. club — for golf
  7. craft — boats
  8. game — wild animals
  9. net — for catching
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. game — a match
  13. craft — a skill
  14. club — a group
  15. root — of a plant
  16. firm — a company
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. net — in sport
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. club — for dancing
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wax — for sculpting

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