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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 116 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: land · board · object · wax · squash · mouse · net · fall

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. net — after costs
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. land — to come down
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fall — to drop
  9. squash — to crush
  10. land — ground
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wax — to grow
  14. board — to get on
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. board — a committee
  17. object — to protest
  18. land — a country
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. object — a thing
  22. fall — the season
  23. object — an aim
  24. net — for catching

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