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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: ball · racket · wound · suit · land · net · saw · wax

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. wound — an injury
  3. land — to come down
  4. ball — a dance
  5. suit — in cards
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. saw — the tool
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. net — for catching
  14. land — a country
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wound — an injury
  17. saw — the tool
  18. land — ground
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. suit — clothes
  21. net — after costs
  22. suit — to fit
  23. wax — to grow
  24. net — in sport

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