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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 · wax · content · mate · spell · row · wound · cap

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. spell — letters
  3. content — the amount
  4. wound — an injury
  5. net — for catching
  6. row — a line
  7. cap — of ice
  8. spell — magic
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mate — to breed
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spell — a short time
  16. row — to paddle
  17. content — happy
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — a partner

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